25 Jan 2015

In an effort to curb potential new HIV infections, the National Aids Coordinating Agency (NACA) has beefed up its HIV campaign messages to educate Batswana about the risk of attracting new infections.

NACA public relations officer, Ms Lorato Mongatane said in an interview that the agency has identified all pockets of new HIV infections to avert them, hence intensified its campaigns with evidence based interventions.

These she said, include messages targeting sex workers and men that have sex with other men, a sub-population that was categorised as the Most-at-Risk-Populations (MARPs) through a study carried out in 2013.

MARPs are those groups that fall among the most marginalized and most likely to be stigmatized. Also, HIV prevention interventions exist in varying degrees for these groups, which call for belt tightening.

The results of the study carried in 2013 revealed an HIV prevalence of 62 per cent among the commercial sex workers, calling for interventions among this population.

Also, a Modes of Transmission Study conducted in 2010 estimated that the chances of transmissibility of HIV by a sex worker and men that have sex with other men are about six per cent and five per cent respectively.

She noted however, that in generalized HIV epidemic it is difficult and also not cost effective to determine the impact of various groupings on the public.

Ms Mongatane further said the country’s number one priority as envisaged in the second National Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS is the prevention of new HIV infections.

“This means that we have to identify all pockets of new HIV infections as Botswana has set itself a goal of zero new HIV infections by 2016 as well as to ensure that no potential new infection occurs irrespective of how it occurs,” she said.

She said the messages are not stand-alone but are part of a multi-faceted integrated plan to not only educate but also sensitize Batswana about the risks involved. 

The messages, she said, are also meant to generate dialogue among communities, families, young people as well as leaders on the issues in order to come up with home grown solutions that can work for the country.

“This does not only end with them but extends to the general population which also includes their clients, potential clients, spouses, families,” she said.

Ms Mongatane further noted that consultations were ongoing with the relevant structures, community leaders and the communities on how to address these contemporary issues within the context of culture, traditions and societal norms.

Nonetheless, she said there was need to find acceptable ways to address the situation, against the backdrop that prostitution, gays and lesbians were not legally recognised in the society.

She said Botswana is estimated to have 40-new HIV infections per day, hence the need to ensure that no stone is left unturned in an endeavour to block all potential new HIV infections in order to turn the tide against the epidemic. ENDS