A recent survey has found that South Africans think their faithfulness could protect them against HIV, reports The Independent Online.
“The survey showed that faithfulness had gone up as a way to prevent HIV,” said Dr Saul Johnson, managing director for Health and Development Africa, at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.
The percentage of respondents who believed faithfulness was a way to prevent HIV had increased from 26 percent in 2006 to 39.1 percent in 2009.
The Second National HIV and Aids 2009 survey was conducted in all nine provinces between June and August last year.
A total of 9 728 people aged between 16 and 55 took part in the survey, which involved completing in-depth, structured questionnaires in face-to-face interviews.
Some tips
In addition to being faithful to your partner, make sure that you know your HIV stattus and the HIV status of your partner before you have unprotected sex. You or your partner may have been infected by HIV prior to your relationship.
Should either one of you be positive, or both of you are positive, take steps to protect each other from reinfection with HIV.
