Dikoloti calls for intervention on PMTCT

FRANCISTOWN: The Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, says there is a need for implementable intervention in order to address new infections amongst children through the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT).

Dikoloti was speaking at the official opening of the 23rd Team TB/HIV annual meeting, which was attended by more than 300 delegates from every District Health Management Team (DHMT) across the nation.

In his address, Dikoloti said there are variations on geographical impacts with a number of new HIV infections being highest in Gaborone, Kweneng East and Francistown and lowest in the Jwaneng, Charleshill and Mabutsane areas.

He further said the number of new HIV infections are on the rise, partly because of vulnerable and important populations, which regrettably calls into question the progress that has been made thus far. In light of these stark realities, Dikoloti continued, it is imperative that they consider their presentations when working on HIV/AIDS response initiatives. He indicated that they still record new child infections from mothers who stopped taking anti-retroviral therapy (ART) or did not receive it at all. He added that some of the new infections are from mothers who were initially HIV negative and sero-converted, either during pregnancy or breast feeding. Dikoloti said: ”These are some of the dark realities that we need to focus on and come up with implementable interventions. I take it that you are all aware that this year we are challenged as a country, to defend the Silver Tier status that we got in 2021, as we undergo Regional and Global validation,” he added.

According to UNAIDS data, there were about 4, 320 new HIV infections as of 2022. The Health Minister also stated that the current HIV prevalence rate stands at 20.8% for people aged between 15 and 64 years with women at 26.2% and men at 15.5%.

It is estimated that 343, 914 people in Botswana are HIV positive as of right now, 320, 774 of who are taking ARVs. Dikoloti asserted that even with Botswana’s comparatively high HIV/AIDS prevalence, the number of deaths linked to the disease has decreased, going from 4,609 in 2021 to 3,800 in 2022. In addition, he stated that Botswana is amongst the select few nations that are recognised as a model of care for HIV/AIDS services. “As a nation, we have made significant progress against the scourge in a number of areas. As you may know, Botswana was amongst the first nations to achieve the UNAIDS targets of 95-95-95 in 2021,” he continued. Notwithstanding the progress the nation’s TB and HIV programmes have made, Dikoloti said there are still a lot of obstacles to be solved. He emphasised that the nation’s failure to meet the projected 75% reduction in new HIV infections as one of the issues.

He pointed out that adult males between the ages of 15 and 64 have not yet reached the first 95, and that viral load suppression in males between the ages of 15 and 44 and females between the ages of 15 and 24 still lags behind other age groups. He added that young girls and women in their adolescence continue to play a major role in the spread of new infections.

“Amongst young people living with HIV, we still observe gaps in ART coverage and viral load suppression. Men have wider gaps than women do,” the minister continued. “National strategic targets for TB have not been met.” Dikoloti also hinted that they continue to face difficulties with GBV, stigma, discrimination, and human rights issues.

Additionally, he said that they must not undervalue the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on their approach to treating TB. He continued that the National TB Programme faced challenges in 2020 and 2021 due to a sharp decline in case finding and reporting.

He added: “We saw a resurgence in case finding in 2022 with unwavering commitment from the National TB programme and their esteemed partners.”

The minister said they have introduced Urine LAM testing for HIV positive individuals and GeneXpert stool testing for childhood TB because the case is still a concern in their tireless efforts to address TB. These innovative diagnostic tools will empower our healthcare professionals to make quicker and more accurate decisions, added Dikoloti.

It is estimated that 343, 914 people in Botswana are HIV positive as of right now, 320, 774 of who are taking ARVs