Background on HIV in South Africa

South Africans have a high burden of communicable diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, as well as non-communicable chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.3 Life expectancy has seen progressive increases over the years, in part due to the rapid and effective scale-up of HIV and tuberculosis care in the country.2,4 In 2015, life expectancy was 60.6 years for men and 64.3 years for women.2 However, maternal and child mortality rates are relatively high compared to other middle-income countries.4,5