Findings from the Ha Nakekela Study: The Burden of HIV among Adults over Age 50

Xavier Gómez-Olivé, University of the Witwatersrand
Samuel J. Clark, University of Washington
Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, University of the Witwatersrand
Jane Menken, University of Colorado at Boulder
Nicole Angotti, University of Colorado at Boulder
Chodziwadziwa Kabudula, University of the Witwatersrand
Jill Williams, University of Colorado at Boulder
Stephen Tollman, University of the Witwatersrand

Few studies in the developing world have measured HIV prevalence amongst those aged 50+. An exception is South Africa, where national estimates have described prevalence across the adult lifespan, as has a recent study in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is particularly severe. These studies document a significant burden of HIV at ages older than 50. In this paper we document HIV prevalence in a second rural area of South Africa, covered by the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS), that earlier was thought to have lower prevalence. Inclusion of older adults in HIV prevalence studies is clearly needed, as is preparation by health systems for higher rates of HIV/AIDS in people over age 50.