Number of new infections in one of the country’s most populous provinces stops falling after years of steep decline

Ben Farmer

Africa Correspondent

Show biography

Ben is based in South Africa and also works on The Telegraph's Global Health Security team. He spent five years in Kabul covering the Afghanistan war, five years as Defence Correspondent in London, and four years in Islamabad

Published 14 October 2026 10:41am BST

South Africa’s progress in tackling the Aids and HIV crisis has stalled in one of its most populous provinces, new research has found.

The number of new cases of the infection in KwaZulu-Natal province, centred around the eastern port of Durban, have stopped falling after years of steep declines.

Data from a long-running study following thousands of people also showed those with detectable levels of virus in their blood had risen slightly despite years of medics prescribing antiretroviral drugs.

Researchers said the peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet HIV medical journal…