Namibia launches youth HIV campaign
Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services on Thursday launched the Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U) campaign aimed at preventing the further spread of HIV among young people.
Speaking at the event in Windhoek, health deputy minister Esther Utjiua Muinjangue said the U=U sensitisation campaign is intended for all adolescents and young people living with HIV, as well as those who are HIV-negative.
“Namibia continues to prioritise young people’s health. We are hoping for a brighter future for our youth, a future with reduced HIV infections and fewer AIDS-related deaths,” she added.
HIV treatment is safer and more effective than ever, especially now with the discovery and introduction of dolutegravir-based regimens, the most effective antiretroviral (ARV) medicine at suppressing viral load.
If adolescents and young people living with HIV know that their viral load is suppressed and that they can’t transmit the virus through sex, then they will be encouraged to remain on treatment, the politician stated.
However, people need to be reminded that ARV medicines do not cure HIV infection or remove the virus from the body. But, when taken as prescribed, they can stop the virus from multiplying.
According to Muinjangue, ending AIDS involves concerted efforts from everyone, including the youth, and this is just one of those efforts.
“The youth are the agents of change in the fight against HIV through their efforts to create awareness and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS and other social challenges such as gender-based violence and substance abuse among the youth of Namibia. I hope that the collaborative efforts employed here will help attain the campaign objectives, and ensure the messages reach as many young people as possible,” she continued.
The latest estimates from the MoHSS show that 86% of persons living with HIV aged 15-64 years know their HIV status. Out of these, 96.4% are on ARV therapy, and 91.3% of these are virally suppressed and no longer spreading HIV.