24 Sep 2014

About 25.9 per cent of men having sex with other men in Kasane were found to be living with HIV, the Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri has said.

This figure is more than both Gaborone and Francistown combined which stand at 12.3 per cent and 11.7 per cent respectively. 

Addressing a full council meeting in Kasane on Tuesday, September 23, Mr Matlhabaphiri said these statistics were from the Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS) which was carried out last year to determine the level of HIV prevalence among most at risk populations. 

The same study also indicated that 63.3 per cent of sex workers in Kasane are living with HIV. This study, Mr Matlhabaphiri said revealed painful results.

“I call upon the district to dialogue around these issues with the aim of finding long term solutions,” he advised.  Mr Matlhabaphiri noted that Batswana’s business as usual approach or keeping the AIDS response at its current pace cannot end the epidemic. Multiple sexual partnerships are still a concern in the Chobe while testing for HIV is still low. 

BAIS findings revealed that three per cent of young people in the Chobe district had sex before the age of 15 years. HIV incidence dropped from 1.45 per cent in 2008 to 1.35 per cent in 2013. 

“This means that the number of new HIV infections reduced from about 15 000 in 2008 to 10 000 in 2013,” the minster noted adding that this is significant but worrying for a population of 2.3 million people. 

HIV national prevalence rate grew from 17.6 per cent to 18.5 per cent this time around. Chobe district which has the highest HIV prevalence rates in Botswana has been recording declines since 2008, the assistant minister noted.

“HIV prevalence declined from 29.4 per cent in 2004 to 23 per cent in 2008 and ultimately 17.7 per cent in 2013,” he said.

However chief research officer, Ms Seeletso Mosweunyane of NACA said that health management team in Chobe must find out why the prevalence is going down as that can be either good or bad.

“The drop in prevalence could be because more children are born HIV negative or that people who are HIV positive could be dying, thus lowering the number of those living with HIV,” she said. Currently Botswana has 235 668 people on Anti-retro viral therapy (ARV). 

Ms Mosweunyane noted that consistent condom use stands at 58.5 per cent nationally. “With close to half of the population failing to use condoms consistently how then do we lower new infections? That is the challenge” said Ms Mosweunyane.

She revealed that in Chobe, 68.1 per cent of men admitted to drinking alcohol excessively while for women, 71.5 per cent of those interviewed admitted to doing the same. Alcohol has been noted as one of the key drivers in the spread of new HIV infections. 

In other areas such as Ngami South, Ms Mosweunyane noted 100 per cent of respondents admitted to excessively drinking alcohol, a worrying deterrent to the country’s efforts in achieving zero new infections.

The revised National policy on HIV and AIDS has reduced the age of consent from HIV testing from 21 to 16 years. 

Responding to the findings, councillors in Chobe complained about government’s Lorato condom which they said could be contributing to low consistent condom use nationally. “Neighbouring countries such as Namibia have attractive and appealing condoms which they provide for their citizens, it is high time we improve our own,” said Kebareesditse Ntsogotho of Khwai/ Mababe ward.

Kgosi Maiba Sinvula on the other hand argued that disturbing practices such as men having sex with other men were brought about by outsiders, as they traditionally never had such issues in the past. “We used to hear about these from other countries, it is shocking that we have such alarming numbers in Chobe,” he said. ENDS