The fight against HIV and Aids requires all South Africans to act together, says Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Addressing the World Aids Day commemoration in
Mdantsane, Easten Cape on Sunday, the Deputy President said while significant
strides have been made in ensuring that 95% of people living with HIV know
their status, the same cannot be said with respect to ensuring that 95% of
people who know their status are on treatment and that 95% of people on
treatment are virally suppressed.
“As of June 2024, only 79% of people who knew
their status were on treatment, and only 93% of people on treatment were
virally suppressed. As a country, we need to further increase HIV screening,
diagnosis, and treatment initiation while maintaining treatment adherence to
keep viral suppression rates high. We urge all government departments to incorporate
HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis [TB] in their workplace health and wellness programs.’’
“In the same breath, we call upon political
parties, trade unions, student organisations, and other formations to encourage
their members and supporters to know their HIV status and those who know their
status to seek treatment and to remain on treatment.
“Our traditional leaders need to continue to
use platforms at their disposal, such as community meetings, izimbizo,
traditional initiation schools, funerals and such events, to encourage their
subjects to test for HIV and TB,” the Deputy President said.
World Aids Day, commemorated annually on 1
December, is commemorated annually across the globe in solidarity with the
millions of people living with HIV as well as to raise awareness about the
status of the epidemic, with a view to encourage HIV prevention, treatment, and
care.
The 2024 theme: “Equal Rights, Equal Care” is a
call for equal, equitable and dignified access to healthcare for all South
Africans regardless of their economic status, gender, race or sexuality.
PICTURE: X - @GovernmentZAAccording to Mashatile, Government would
continuously rely on various stakeholders, such as religious leaders to
mobilise all men and women who worship, especially those who are HIV-positive
and have stopped treatment, to return to care.
The Deputy President welcomed the initiative by
the Department of Health, working together with SANAC and development partners,
to trace the 1.1 million people living with HIV and linking them to treatment
from today to December 2025.
Mashatile said linking these 1.1 million people
to treatment will enable the country to reach the UNAIDS targets of 95-95-95.
This is 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of people who
know their HIV status are receiving HIV treatment and 95% of people on HIV
treatment are virally suppressed.
“I would
like to urge all the Premiers to make use of the Provincial Councils on AIDS to
mobilise these sectors and others that are active in the provinces to help us
find the 1.1 million people.
“All employers and employment organisations
must come to the party. This is a genuine battle, and if we fail to
combat HIV and AIDS, it will ultimately lead to our downfall,” the Deputy
President said.
Mashatile says South Africa remains the
epicentre of HIV and is among those with the highest TB burden. Currently,
nearly 8 million people in South Africa are
living with HIV, and TB remains the leading cause of death, claiming around 56
000 lives a year.
“We must always be cognisant of the fact that
HIV is not only a public health crisis but also a developmental challenge and a
human rights matter. Our approaches must be comprehensive, targeted, inclusive,
and geo-specific.”
Girls are more vulnerable to HIV infection.
About 1 300 new cases are being recorded on a weekly basis. Mashatile says the
infection rate among boys of the same age, between 15 and 24, however, is
almost three times less.
“A variety of factors, including the biological
makeup of their bodies and their involvement in age-disparate relationships,
contribute to this phenomenon. Nevertheless, we need more interventions
designed for adolescent girls and young women.
Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, said South
Africa needed to put 1. 2 million people on ARV treatment.
“We need to work very hard to reach the 95
percent,” Motsoaledi said, referring to the UNAIDS targets.
Motsoaledi encouraged men especially to get
tested for HIV and know their status.
Done by: Mitchum George
No comments:
Post a Comment