Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana has done and continues to do well in responding to HIV pandemic since the late 1980s.
Speaking at an HIV prevention symposium in Palapye Thursday, National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) national coordinator, Mr Ontiretse Letlhare said the success was due political commitment in the country’s response to the pandemic.
He said through the leadership and commitment, Botswana made significant strides in the attainment of the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets of testing, treatment and viral suppression, with the country currently at 95-98-98.
Mr Letlhare said the country had received certification for achieving the required indicators for the Silver Tier on the Path to Elimination of Mother to Child HIV Transmission.
He said despite notable successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Botswana did not meet the global target of reducing new HIV infections by 2020 and had only managed 46 per cent. This, he said, showed the country still had a long way to go in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
He said the Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS) V results showed that women and adolescent girls bore the greatest burden of HIV infections, with new infections high among young people.
He said men lagged behind in the uptake of health services.
Mr Letlhare said the symposium which was held under the theme: Accelerating HIV Prevention to end AIDS in Botswana, was appropriate and required combined efforts of all the technical stakeholders, programme managers as well as implementing entities to extensively interrogate HIV prevention strategies in Botswana.
He said the theme resonated well with political declaration of 2016 to end HIV as a public threat by year 2030.
Mr Letlhare also said as a member of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition, Botswana fully subscribed to the notion that countries had to strengthen their primary HIV prevention based on the GPC roadmap for 2025.
“This symposium is therefore intended to help us as role players in the fight against HIV/AIDS to refocus our efforts and ensure strict adherence roadmap,” he said.
The UNAIDS fast track advisor, Dr Chingwete Chiweni said his organisation had worked hand in hand with partners such as the government, NAHPA, Ministry of Health and other key ministries and departments in their efforts to accelerate HIV prevention.
He said they had score cards which showed the status of HIV prevention in Botswana and they (UNAIDS) could also compare the country with other countries and see which areas could be accelerated.
Dr Chiweni said they had gone through a collaborative process of using tools called prevention self-assessment tools, assessing themselves in the areas of programming and had seen where they were lagging and came up with an action plan.
He said in 2022, over 8 000 males volunteered for the medical male circumcision which was more than double what it was before COVID-19.
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