US govt avails $360 million for Aids fight

THE United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) has set aside more than $360 million for programmes to support key populations in the implementation of HIV intervention efforts.

The development follows the 2018 Intentional Aids Conference held in Amsterdam, Netherlands which saw the launch of a number of programmes to speed up HIV prevention amongst various societal groups.

The PEPFAR’s fact sheet has revealed that the $360 million injection would go a long way in bridging the gaps in access to primary health services by high risk populations.

Zimbabwe is one of the Southern African countries that will benefit from the $360 million fund as the country has, with the assistance of PEPFAR, made strides in the fight against HIV/Aids.

In a statement on their website, PEPFAR said they remained committed to their mandate of fighting HIV and Aids.

“PEPFAR remains deeply committed to expanding key populations’ nondiscriminatory access to quality, life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services. In the next 12 months, PEPFAR intends to spend more than $360 million to support key populations across the countries where we work,” read the statement.

PEPFAR discouraged stigmatisation and discrimination of people living with HIV and Aids as this further leads to more infections and hinders the global fight against the virus.

“We will only control and ultimately end the HIV/Aids epidemic if we address the underlying issues that prevent people from accessing HIV services, including formal/ informal fees, human rights violations, stigma, discrimination, and violence. When any person is stigmatised or unable to access services due to discrimination, the health and dignity of everyone in the community are threatened and the epidemic continues to expand rather than contract,” read the statement. —@andile_tshuma