{"id":34581,"date":"2023-10-09T10:15:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T10:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care"},"modified":"2023-10-09T11:01:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T11:01:42","slug":"services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care","title":{"rendered":"Services without stigma: Halting HIV\u2019s spread in Lesotho through non-discriminatory care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>Since the height of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic, the rate of the virus\u2019s spread has slowed significantly, with new infections down 59 per cent from 1995. But that hasn\u2019t stopped it from newly infecting 1.3 million people globally last year, of whom 500,000 are in east and southern Africa.<\/p>\n

Vanquishing HIV requires providing people who are vulnerable to the virus\u2019s spread with what they need to keep themselves and others safe \u2013 and meeting them where they are.<\/p>\n

In Lesotho, which has the world\u2019s second-highest adult HIV\/AIDS prevalence rate, this has meant bringing HIV prevention programming to points along the landlocked country\u2019s border \u2013 places that serve as hubs for at-risk groups, such as sex workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project has been very beneficial and makes life easier because they bring services to where we are,\u201d said a Mafeteng-based sex worker. Stopping HIV\u2019s spread through stigma-free care<\/p>\n

Every day, peer educators from the Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association come to work at three points along the Lesotho-South Africa border in Mafeteng, Maputsoe and Maseru.<\/p>\n

Their goal: To create demand for and drive the uptake of sexual and reproductive health services among populations deemed at-risk for HIV: Specifically, sex workers, long-distance truck drivers and LGBTQIA+ people.<\/p>\n

Around the world, female sex workers are 30 times more vulnerable to HIV infection than counterpart non-sex workers. In Lesotho, meanwhile, it is estimated that up to half of all female sex workers could be living with HIV.<\/p>\n

One study put the prevalence rate at 72 per cent. But the stigma surrounding both sex work and HIV status may keep many from accessing the care they need. In 2013, 4 per cent of people living with HIV reported being denied health services because of their HIV status in the last year.<\/p>\n

The Along the Borders project, which is supported by UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, seeks to meet the needs of clients without judgment through meaningful conversations and referrals to nearby clinics that offer stigma-free care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe health services relieved me a lot,\u201d one Maputsoe-based sex worker told UNFPA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI now occasionally visit health facilities, where I get a variety of services without discrimination.<\/p>\n

\u201d Becoming a champion<\/p>\n

Since the project began in 2020, peer educators have had hundreds of conversations with members of key populations and distributed nearly 200,000 male condoms, more than 30,000 lubricants and over 2,500 female condoms.<\/p>\n

The Mafeteng-based sex worker, meanwhile, has become a champion for the project. \u201cWe get information on how we can prevent new HIV infections and they also educate us on antiretroviral therapy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2020, there was an increase in unintended pregnancies, but since the project has been in operation, unintended pregnancies and new HIV infections are fewer.<\/p>\n

\u201d As UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said, \u201cViruses don\u2019t discriminate: Our policies to defeat them can\u2019t either.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. Since the height of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic, the rate of the virus\u2019s spread has slowed significantly, with new infections down 59 per cent from 1995. But that hasn\u2019t stopped it from newly infecting 1.3 million people globally last year, of whom 500,000 are in east and southern Africa. Vanquishing HIV requires providing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":34580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,7],"tags":[233,246,324,245],"class_list":["post-34581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-head-lines","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-hiv","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nServices without stigma: Halting HIV\u2019s spread in Lesotho through non-discriminatory care - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Since the height of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic, the rate of the virus\u2019s spread has slowed significantly, with new infections ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Services without stigma: Halting HIV\u2019s spread in Lesotho through non-discriminatory care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since the height of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic, the rate of the virus\u2019s spread has slowed significantly, with new infections ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-09T10:15:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-09T11:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2023\/10\/sm_1696836568.559279.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Services without stigma: Halting HIV\u2019s spread in Lesotho through non-discriminatory care\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-09T10:15:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-09T11:01:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\"},\"wordCount\":489,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2023\/10\/sm_1696836568.559279.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Lesotho\",\"HIV\",\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\",\"head lines\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/services-without-stigma-halting-hivs-spread-in-lesotho-through-non-discriminatory-care\",\"name\":\"Services without stigma: Halting HIV\u2019s spread in Lesotho through non-discriminatory care - 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