But, during the 1990’s, and for reasons that are still not fully understood, the virus exploded into the general population. The number of infected South Africans (equivalent to the population of Denmark) outstrips that of neighboring Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe combined.
艾滋病来势汹汹及其传染速度让很多南非人意想不到。像发达国家一样，艾滋病毒感染最初集中在血友病患者、性活跃同性恋者以及静脉注射吸毒人员中。但20世纪90年代某种未知原因导致公众病毒感染率暴增。被病毒感染的南非民众数量（相当于丹麦全国人口）超过了相邻莫桑比克、莱索托、博茨瓦纳、纳米比亚、斯威士兰和津巴布韦的总和。