HIV rate drops to 12.6%
Namibia is on track to become the first Southern African nation to achieve the global 90-90-90 HIV/Aids targets.
Namibia is making great strides in the fight against HIV/Aids and is poised to become the first SADC country to reach the 90-90-90 targets.
The aim of this global initiative is to diagnose 90% of all HIV-positive persons, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 90% of those diagnosed, and achieve viral suppression in 90% of those treated by 2020.
More Namibians are now living healthier despite being HIV positive, while fewer mother-to-child-transmissions are also taking place.
The Namibia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (Namphia) confirmed yesterday that in 2017, only 12.6% of Namibia's adults were living with HIV. That is down from a 14% prevalence in 2013.
Of the adults living with HIV, 77.4% were virally suppressed in 2017, which is a major achievement.
In terms of prevalence, adult women stood at 15.7%, while the HIV prevalence for men was at 9.3%.
Namphia also said the total HIV-related deaths have dropped from over 10 000 every year to fewer than 4 000.
According to Namphia, the steady overall decrease in prevalence was linked to HIV-positive people living longer because of successful treatment resulting in viral load suppression.
It said that in some regions such as Kunene the prevalence was less than 8%, while in Zambezi it was over 22%.
“Other positive findings include that Namibian women are already at 90-90-90. Even though Namibian women are more likely to have HIV than men, the women who do have HIV are more likely to be tested, be on treatment and virally suppressed. This is excellent for women's health as well as the wellbeing of their children.”
US ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson congratulated the country's women for already having achieved the 90-90-90 goals, describing it as a real success story.
She warned that this was not the end of the fight against HIV/Aids, as more needed to be done.
STAFF REPORTER
The aim of this global initiative is to diagnose 90% of all HIV-positive persons, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 90% of those diagnosed, and achieve viral suppression in 90% of those treated by 2020.
More Namibians are now living healthier despite being HIV positive, while fewer mother-to-child-transmissions are also taking place.
The Namibia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (Namphia) confirmed yesterday that in 2017, only 12.6% of Namibia's adults were living with HIV. That is down from a 14% prevalence in 2013.
Of the adults living with HIV, 77.4% were virally suppressed in 2017, which is a major achievement.
In terms of prevalence, adult women stood at 15.7%, while the HIV prevalence for men was at 9.3%.
Namphia also said the total HIV-related deaths have dropped from over 10 000 every year to fewer than 4 000.
According to Namphia, the steady overall decrease in prevalence was linked to HIV-positive people living longer because of successful treatment resulting in viral load suppression.
It said that in some regions such as Kunene the prevalence was less than 8%, while in Zambezi it was over 22%.
“Other positive findings include that Namibian women are already at 90-90-90. Even though Namibian women are more likely to have HIV than men, the women who do have HIV are more likely to be tested, be on treatment and virally suppressed. This is excellent for women's health as well as the wellbeing of their children.”
US ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson congratulated the country's women for already having achieved the 90-90-90 goals, describing it as a real success story.
She warned that this was not the end of the fight against HIV/Aids, as more needed to be done.
STAFF REPORTER
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