Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Health and Social Services says 8 445 children in Namibia are living with HIV. This is out of a total of 206 718 Namibians living with HIV, including 198 273 adults, as estimated in September this year. Meanwhile, the health and social services minister Kalumbi Shangula says one of the challenges the country has faced in addressing the HIV-AIDS epidemic is achieving the targets among children living with the disease.
However, for adults, the country has managed to achieve the 90-90-90 target to reach HIV-AIDS epidemic control set by UNAids. Shangula was speaking at the commemoration of World Aids Day at Outjo yesterday. He said one of the factors is the limited range of paediatric anti-retroviral treatment (ART) formulations and poor adherence.
“In order to address these gaps, the ministry has started transitioning eligible children on ART to the new paediatric Dolutegravir-based formulation, which is currently the most effective ARV medicine available in the world,” Shangula said.
Additionally, the ministry introduced a programme called Namibia Adolescent Treatment Support, which is an adolescent peer-led intervention to support treatment, care, and adherence to medication among children living with HIV.
Shangula added that although there are challenges in achieving some of these targets, Namibia has to date enrolled more than 93% of eligible adults and 81% of children to ARV treatment.
“These successes were recorded because of the robust strategies and programmes that the government and its development partners such as Pepfar, the Global Fund, the UN family, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations have put in place,” he noted.
PREP UPTAKE Meanwhile, the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA) has from June to October administered over 800 pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) at three of its seven centres in the country.
Prep is not a treatment for HIV, nor is it used life-long, rather it is one of the prevention mechanisms against HIV. It is taken to reduce the risk of contracting HIV and stops when the risk is not there.
NAPPA called on young people not to be distracted by the Covid-19 pandemic and neglect HIV. The organisation’s communications officer, Louise Stephanus, urged young people to get tested, know their status and stop the spread of HIV.
“Amid Covid-19, we still want to urge the young people to take care of their health.
“For those who are on treatment, adhere to your treatment regime. Being HIV positive is not the end of the world, but the beginning of a new journey of life,” says Stephanus.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that oral Prep containing tenofovir and lamivudine be offered as an additional prevention choice for people at substantial risk of HIV infection.
Namibia introduced the use of Prep as one of the prevention mechanisms against HIV in the public health sector in 2016 at no cost. Dr Laimi Ashipala, the chief medical officer for the HIV and STIs programme in the health ministry, says the treatment helps those who are HIV negative.
“All HIV-negative individuals and those at risk of HIV infection are encouraged to take Prep as prescribed to reduce the risk of HIV infection from sex.”
Prep is also highly recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women at substantial risk of acquiring HIV and to eliminate mother to child transmission.
“Introducing and offering Prep services during their antenatal and postnatal care is paramount,” said Dr Jacques Kamangu, deputy chief clinical mentor of the health ministry.
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