Out of the estimated 4 120 Batswana who contracted new HIV infection last year, 1 118 are teenage girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 years.
This age group accounts for 27 percent of the new HIV infections recorded in a single year.
Minister of Health Dr Stephen Modise said these figures are an indication that Batswana in their thousands continue to be infected with HIV. This is despite the country having successfully exceeding the 95-95-95 UNAIDS global targets set to fast-track strategy to end HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.
“What we find even more concerning is the fact that there is evidence that condom use among our younger population is lower. These statistics mean targeted HIV prevention measures must be provided to this age group as they face difficulties in negotiating safer sex due to unequal power balances”, said Minister of Health.
Modise went on to say teenagers and young adults often have limited access to information about HIV prevention and fewer resources to preventive measures. These according to him are particularly those in remote areas and hard to reach areas in the country. He noted that the same age group is the one engaged in inter-generational intimate relationships.
“My Ministry will continue to embark on targeted programming for adolescent girls and young women, as well as key populations and adolescent boys and men as a way of closing the missing gap of 5:2:2 of the UNAIDS targets”, continued Minister Modise.
In terms of the UNAIDS target goals, 95.1 percent of people living with HIV know their status, while 98 percent of them are on anti-retroviral treatment and 97.9 percent have achieved viral load suppression. Botswana has exceeded the 95-95-95 UNAIDS global targets.
“Botswana has done exceptionally well in preventing mother to child HIV transmission, with an estimated 100 percentage coverage of pregnant women with antiretroviral medicines. Low transmission rates place us well on the path of eliminating mother to child transmission.”
Minister Modise said the Gender Based Violence (GBV) scourge besieging Botswana needs collective effort to uproot the social ill. Studies show that 50 percent of women who are victims of intimate partner violence acquire HIV infection particularly in countries with high HIV prevalence.
This year’s World AIDS Day commemoration was under the theme, Overcoming Disruptions, transforming the AIDS response”. A theme which rightly captures the situation the world finds itself, in particular Botswana in terms of funding HIV response. The Minister of Health called for collective stepping up and protection of the gains so far achieved in fighting HIV and ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
