Journal Article

Increases in Adult Life Expectancy in Rural South Africa: Valuing the Scale-Up of HIV Treatment

Newell, Marie-Louise, Bor, Jacob, Herbst, Abraham J., Bärnighausen, Till

2013

Overview

The scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is expected to raise adult life expectancy in populations with high HIV prevalence. Using data from a population cohort of over 101,000 individuals in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we measured changes in adult life expectancy for 2000—2011. In 2003, the year before ART became available in the public-sector health system, adult life expectancy was 49.2 years; by 2011, adult life expectancy had increased to 60.5 years—an 11.3-year gain. Based on standard monetary valuation of life, the survival benefits of ART far outweigh the costs of providing treatment in this community. These gains in adult life expectancy signify the social value of ART and have implications for the investment decisions of individuals, governments, and donors.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Adult / Adults / African art / Age / AIDS / Anti-HIV Agents - economics / Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use / Antiretroviral agents / Antiretroviral drugs / Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active - economics / Arts / Clinical outcomes / Cohort Studies / Constants / Cost-Benefit Analysis / Costs / Death / Delivery of Health Care / Drug therapy / economic valuation / Female / Health risks / HIV / HIV infections / HIV Infections - drug therapy / HIV Infections - mortality / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Investment / Kaplan-Meier Estimate / Life expectancy / Life Expectancy - trends / longevity / Male / Mathematical analysis / Middle Aged / Mortality / people / Population estimates / Prevalence / Public Sector / Risk factors / Rural / Rural areas / Rural Health / Scaling up / South Africa / South Africa - epidemiology / Surveillance / Value of Life / Young Adult