Author: Nomathemba Chandiwana, Chief Scientific Officer, Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and Senior Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand

It is 40 years since Aids was first identified. Major strides have been made since the spread of the virus reached epidemic proportions in 1995 when 3.3 million people were infected with HIV and just under one million people died. New HIV infections have reduced by 60% since the peak in 1995 and deaths are down by a third. In 2023 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV, while 630,000 people died from Aids-related illnesses. Aids researchers Nomathemba Chandiwana and Linda-Gail Bekker outline the five key things we should know about HIV as we enter the second quarter of…