Women, children left behind in AIDS response
Medical experts are warning that progress in HIV prevention and treatment for children, adolescents, and pregnant women has nearly flatlined over the past three years.
On World AIDS Day, 1 December, UNAIDS urged everyone to address the inequalities which are holding back progress in ending AIDS.
The “Equalise” slogan is a call to action. It is a prompt for all of us to work for the proven practical actions needed to address inequalities and help end AIDS.
While HIV/AIDS remains a major public health issue, Namibia appears to be stemming the tide of the epidemic and although the country has done well in attaining its targets of making sure that a large population is aware of their HIV status, some groupings are not benefiting from this success.
However, new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (aged 15 to 24 years) contributed to 30% of total new infections in 2021.
“Young women have the highest HIV incidence of 0.9% against 0.29% among the general population. Factors fueling these are complex and include individual, social and structural challenges,” stated Alti Zwandor, UNAIDS country director in Namibia.
She adds that the report from the implementation of communityled monitoring in Namibia last year details that the prevalence of stigmatisation at health facilities affecting services is as high as 17% among key populations against 8% of the general population who use health facilities.
First Lady Monica Geingos yesterday detailed the advocacy programmes the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/ AIDS (OAFLA) has focused on HIV for the last 20 years.
“It’s amazing that it was only 20 years ago that ARV became available, the same time the organisation was established,’ she said.
“The prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child and paediatric HIV has been one of the most consistent focus areas in awareness raising of many African First Ladies. As we recognise that, a strong HIV response must prioritise the needs of children and youth,” shared Geingos.
In 2002, First Ladies of Africa came together to form the OAFLA, to be a united voice for Africa’s most susceptible citizens; women and children living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Over the years, OAFLA has evolved to become an institution that can offer continent-wide leadership in terms of advocacy in the areas of HIV and a broad range of maternal and child health interventions.
“Though children have long lagged behind adults in the AIDS response, the stagnation seen in the last three years is unprecedented, putting too many young lives at risk of sickness and death,” said Anurita Bains, UNICEF’s associate chief of HIV/AIDS said yesterday in New York.
Bains added: “Children are falling through the cracks because we are collectively failing to find and test them and get them on life-saving treatment. Every day that goes by without progress, over 300 children and adolescents lose their fight against AIDS.”
Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula said HIV can only be defeated when the global targets of 95-95-95 are reached. Namibia now stands at 92-98-93.
“To reach epidemic control, 95% of all persons who are HIV positive must know their statusthey must know that they are HIV positive. Secondly, of those who are positive, 95% of them must start taking ARVs to stop the virus from spreading in their bodies. Thirdly, 95% of those who are initiated on treatment, must become virally suppressed,” said Shangula yesterday at the handover of a prefabricated structure at Oshikango Border Post.
He mentioned that although good progress has been made, there are still some challenges concerning some sections of the population saying that, “there are still many of our people who are at risk, either of contracting new infections, or defaulting on treatment.”
Namibia adopted communitybased care models recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as one of the strategies to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.