Africa-Press – Lesotho. Lesotho has made a huge progress in addressing the scourge of HIV and Aids, another possible effort to reach the three ambitious 90-90-90 treatment which targets seeking to end the Aids epidemic by 2020, Informative has learned.
In commemoration of World Aids Day (WAD) on December this year, highlights were made on Lesotho Population HIV Impact Assessment (LePHIA) results, launching self-testing, Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as developments in the global HIV and Aids response.
WAD is globally commemorated annually on December with the aim of encouraging the world to unite in the fight against HIV and Aids, show support to the people living with HIV and Aids also to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
The 2014 Lesotho Demographic Health Survey (DHS) reveals that HIV and Aids is Lesotho’s leading cause of death almost a quarter of the population is living with this disease.
“The country also suffers from high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB), which is the second leading cause of death, a dangerous opportunistic infection for the many infected with HIV (TB/HIV co-infection rate averages 72 percent),” says the report.
Meanwhile, Aids benefit concert was held at Maseru Club on Friday where HIV and ids services were mobilized providing HIV education for people to make commitments then partake in the fight.
To learn more about what the country has implemented and the progress made on 90-90-90 target, National Aids Commission (NAC), in corporation with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) clinic had a media tour.
Men’s clinic is one of the achievements in this health facility, where the nurse in charge ‘Makhotso Akhosi pointed that since it was opened this year in July, more men went to health services.
She however said they work with all out patients on any diseases, they provide HIV counselling to any patient visiting the facility before doctor’s consultations, for them to make informed decisions about their lives.
She said they have implemented PrEP for those on risk of HIV infection like discontent spouses, PEP antiretroviral medicines (ART) given after being potentially exposed to HIV to prevent becoming infected.
HIV Clinical Nurse at men’s clinic Mthandazo Magadlela also pointed that the number of men visiting the facility has improved since the opening of the clinic, because they provide them with friendly services, opening from 06:00 am until late to offer them chance before going to work, when they knock off as well as week end for those who cannot make it during the week.
He pointed that in most parts of the world, health outcomes among men continue to be substantially worse than among women, yet this gender-based disparity in health has received little national, regional global attention from health policy-makers, healthcare providers, women or men in efforts to reduce gender inequalities in health as part of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda to improve everyone’s health and well-being.
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