Malawi government optimistic of ending Aids by 2030
Malawi government has said it is optimistic that with support from different stakeholders, it will be able to achieve the goal of ending HIV and Aids in 15 years time.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati, made the remarks in Lilongwe on Tuesday during the opening of Joint Annual Review of the National Response to HIV and Aids.
“This meeting is very important because it is where stakeholders will review challenges and see the way forward. As we are looking for 90-90-90 target by 2020, and also the end of the epidemic by 2030, what is it that we are supposed to be doing? What steps were we using and what steps are we supposed to take now,” she said.
She cited the support government gets from such stakeholders as World Health Organisation (WHO), UNAids, and others, as crucial.
“With financial and technical support, we may be able to meet the 90-90- 90 by 2020 target and also the end of HIV and Aids pandemic by 2030,” Kaliati said.
The 90-90-90 target means having 90 percent of people go for HIV testing, 90 percent of those found positive on treatment, and having viral loads of 90 percent of those found positive suppressed.
National Aids Commission (Nac) board chairperson Paramount Chief Kyungu said the Commission has registered success in the fight due to political will.
Malawi has managed to put over half a million people on treatment.
According to Kyungu, by the end of March, 2015, over 790,000 clients were initiated on ART and about 550, 000 of these were retained alive on ART.
“This has been accompanied by a steady decline in the number of Aids- related deaths. Since 2005, Aids-related deaths have declined by about 50 percent. New infections have also declined significantly over the period, further corroborating evidence of treatment as prevention,” Kyungu said.
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