Pretoria – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended efforts from all role players in the fight against HIV/Aids, saying this has resulted in important gains being made towards reducing the spread and impact of the epidemic.
Briefing reporters on the 2016 International Aids Conference in Johannesburg on Monday, the Deputy President said the world could bring the HIV/Aids epidemic to an end through sustained collaboration between various sectors of society.
“We need to strengthen the social compacts that have been developed over the course of many years. I wish to commend all our partners in the SA National Aids Council for the contribution they continue to make individually and collectively,” said Deputy President Ramaphosa.
South Africa, which has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world, has rolled out the world’s largest treatment programme, with over 2.7 million people initiated on antiretrovirals.
The Deputy President said while many achievements have been made, South Africa was not yet home free, as evidenced in the stubbornly high numbers of new infections.
