A path to end AIDS?

While AIDS claimed a life every minute in 2022 and millions of people still miss out on treatment - including 43% of children living with HIV - there is light at the end of the tunnel.This according to the latest UNAIDS report, which comes at a time when Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have achieved 95-95-95 targets, and at least 16 other countries - including eight in sub-Saharan Africa - are close to doing so.This target requires 95% of all people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of all people diagnosed with HIV to receive sustained antiretroviral (ARV) therapy and 95% of all people on treatment to have viral suppression.Namibia has surpassed the second pillar of the target and is close to achieving the first and third, having so far achieved 92-99-94.The report pointed out that the path to ending AIDS is clear, as long as we follow the leadership of countries that have forged a strong political commitment to put people first and invest in evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment programmes.Significantly enhancedBy accelerating the establishment of generic manufacturing capabilities and broadening the scope of licencing agreements, the affordability and availability of long-acting injected pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be significantly enhanced, it said.This, in turn, would empower countries to tackle their HIV epidemics more effectively, saving countless lives and preventing new infections, the report said, adding that the urgency to remove these hurdles cannot be overstated.It also urged global health organisations, governments and pharmaceutical companies to join forces to expedite the production and distribution of affordable generic versions of long-acting injected PrEP.UNAIDS argued that by doing so, they would not only bridge the affordability gap, but also reaffirm their commitment to equitable healthcare access and the pursuit of a world free from the burden of HIV/AIDS.Extraordinarily high riskHowever, adolescent girls and young women still face extraordinarily high risks of HIV infection in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as people from key populations everywhere, the report said.This, as gender and other inequalities - along with violence, stigma, discrimination and harmful laws and practices - sabotage their abilities to protect themselves from HIV.“Every week, 4 000 adolescent girls and young women acquire HIV. In 2022, in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls of all ages accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections. Only about 42% of districts with very high HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa are currently covered with dedicated prevention programmes for adolescent girls and young women.“Closing these gaps and making it easier for sexually active girls and women to access female-friendly biomedical prevention tools, such as oral PrEP and the dapivirine vaginal ring, would greatly reduce their risks of acquiring HIV,” it said.jemima@namibiansun.com

A path to end AIDS?

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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A path to end AIDS?

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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