Supplementary funding (360G-Wellcome-097410_D_11_A)

Over the last decade, the comprehensive longitudinal data generated from the Africa Centre surveillance has been extensively used to provide empiricalevidence on the socio-demographic and health impact of the HIV epidemic ina severely affected, rural population. The mutually beneficial partnership between the Centre and Department of Health in the delivery of the HIV Treatment and Care Programme has allowed the evaluation of the impact of the programme at population level and informed understanding of clinical outcomes at an individual level. Building on this extensive body of work and supportinghealth care improvements, our aim in the next quinquennium, 2012-2017, is to demonstrate substantial reductions in the spread of HIV for current and futuregenerations of adults, virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission andchanging HIV from a major source of mortality and morbidity to a chronic, manageable condition. We will achieve this overarching aim by focusing our research on identifying the impacts of combined approaches to HIV prevention and treatment on the individual, the household, the community and the health care and social systems. Our long-term goal is to be instrumental in the elimination of HIV transmission and acquisition and the mitigation of its impact in this rural population.