Yesterday, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and partners launched the Limpopo chapter of the sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey (also known as the sixth South African Behavioural, Sero-status and Media Impact Survey or SABSSM VI in short) to gather information on HIV incidence, prevalence and other related indicators in South Africa.
The initiative was first commissioned by former president Nelson Mandela in 2001; the study is a population-based, cross-sectional survey of households throughout South Africa.
Overall principal investigator, Professor Khangelani Zuma of the HSRC, says the survey is conducted to understand the factors driving the HIV epidemic and its dynamics, and is used to inform policies and strategies to tackle it.
The survey is done approximately every five years.
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first round of the survey. One important addition to the study year is that a sub-sample of participants will be randomly selected to test for SARS-Cov-2 antibodies, letting us better understand the true impact of Covid-19 in South Africa,” said the council.
The South African National Aids Council (Sanac) is a long-time collaborator on the project, and its chief executive, Dr Thembisile Xulu, says the study is arguably the most important health survey done in the county. It gives us an up-to-date picture of HIV prevalence and incidence.
“Plus, it helps us identify hot-spot areas, so that the departments of Health and Social Development can develop highly targeted interventions to address the spread of HIV and provide treatment to those who need it most,” said Xulu.
According to the council the aim of the survey is to gather data that will be used to determine the HIV prevalence, incidence, antiretroviral treatment (ART) exposure, viral load suppression, HIV drug resistance, and risk behaviours in South Africa. This information is critical in shaping our country’s HIV policy.
The council added that it used cutting-edge technology and a vast network of fieldworkers to engage with people across the length and breadth of the country, to ensure that the data gathered was accurate and useful in shaping policy and strategy at the highest level.
“The study will take place across all nine provinces and is targeting a total of 93 000 participants from approximately 25 000 households.
“Field workers have already started working in communities and will continue throughout the year. The success of the survey depends on people across the country opening their doors and allowing our field workers into their homes to complete the survey,” said the council.
Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang said that when Mandela first launched the survey in 2001, he acknowledged the importance of using data to get an accurate picture of the HIV pandemic and its impact on the country.
“At the time we surveyed 9 000 people, and we are delighted that the survey has grown in magnitude and makes such a valuable contribution to providing people with access to testing and treatment to ensure that they live long and healthy lives,” said Hatang.
The council said the field workers were identifiable by their HSRC-marked bibs and identity cards, and would introduce themselves and provide an explanation of the purpose of the study. Once a participant had consented to participate, field workers would complete a questionnaire on the health behaviour of the participant using a tablet, and collect a blood sample to test for HIV, and for some of the participants, for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, provided the participant consented to testing after completing the questionnaire.
Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba encouraged the residents of Limpopo to welcome field workers into their homes so that researchers would be able to provide information to the government for planning purposes.
“To truly inform health policies and decisions to benefit our country, the survey needs participation to represent all South Africans, including all socio-economic backgrounds, ages, population groups and locality types (rural, urban, and farm areas),” said Ramathuba.