South Africa, home to the world's worst HIV/AIDS epidemic, plans to halve the HIV-infection rate and provide treatment to 750,000 patients within the next five years, South African media reported on Friday.

The government has drafted a new HIV/AIDS-combating strategy and may publish it as early as next month, national newspaper Business Day said.

The new plan spells out 30 goals under four priority areas -- preventing new infections; providing treatment, care and support to people infected with HIV; improving HIV research, and implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the plan's targets; and ensuring that the rights of people infected with HIV are protected.

Special emphasis is placed on efforts to reach young people, who are mostly vulnerable to the infection.

More than 5.5 million South Africans, or 11 percent of the population, are infected with HIV. This number is the second largest in the world, only after India .

Although government's treatment program is the world's biggest, the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society estimates that only about a fifth of the HIV patients in need are getting life-prolonging antiretroviral medicines, according to the newspaper.

The plan comes amid signs of a dramatic rethink in government circles about a comprehensive approach to the pandemic, it said.

It coincides with a new drive led by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the head of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) to reverse negative international perceptions of South Africa's AIDS-fighting efforts.

Pretoria has long been under domestic and international pressures, blamed of lacking firm and clear leadership to tackle with the epidemic.

The draft plan is a marked departure from the government's 2000-2005 plan, which has been widely criticized for its failure to include clear targets and a monitoring and evaluation framework.

Key goals for 2011 include: increasing the provision of free male and female condoms and ensuring these protective devices are available in 90 percent of workplaces; providing AIDS drugs to 90 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women who need them; maintaining a safe blood transfusion service; better treatment of sexually transmitted infections; providing treatment to 650,000 adults and 100,000 children; providing nutritional supplements to 700,000 adults and 150,000 children; and training more home-based care volunteers to support AIDS patients.

) -- South Africa, home to the world's worst HIV/AIDS epidemic, plans to halve the HIV-infection rate and provide treatment to 750,000 patients within the next five years, South African media reported on Friday.

The government has drafted a new HIV/AIDS-combating strategy and may publish it as early as next month, national newspaper Business Day said.

The new plan spells out 30 goals under four priority areas -- preventing new infections; providing treatment, care and support to people infected with HIV; improving HIV research, and implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the plan's targets; and ensuring that the rights of people infected with HIV are protected.

Special emphasis is placed on efforts to reach young people, who are mostly vulnerable to the infection.

More than 5.5 million South Africans, or 11 percent of the population, are infected with HIV. This number is the second largest in the world, only after India .

Although government's treatment program is the world's biggest, the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society estimates that only about a fifth of the HIV patients in need are getting life-prolonging antiretroviral medicines, according to the newspaper.

The plan comes amid signs of a dramatic rethink in government circles about a comprehensive approach to the pandemic, it said.

It coincides with a new drive led by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the head of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) to reverse negative international perceptions of South Africa's AIDS-fighting efforts.

Pretoria has long been under domestic and international pressures, blamed of lacking firm and clear leadership to tackle with the epidemic.

The draft plan is a marked departure from the government's 2000-2005 plan, which has been widely criticized for its failure to include clear targets and a monitoring and evaluation framework.

Key goals for 2011 include: increasing the provision of free male and female condoms and ensuring these protective devices are available in 90 percent of workplaces; providing AIDS drugs to 90 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women who need them; maintaining a safe blood transfusion service; better treatment of sexually transmitted infections; providing treatment to 650,000 adults and 100,000 children; providing nutritional supplements to 700,000 adults and 150,000 children; and training more home-based care volunteers to support AIDS patients.

Story from Xinhua News