10 Nov 2016

The Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, says as much as Botswana’s story of HIV/AIDS is a success, it should be acknowledged that the war has not yet been won.
“Any form of complacency or drift from the war path would be more suicidal” he stated.
Speaking during the National AIDS Council (NAC) meeting in Gaborone on November 10, the Vice President said he was worried by new infections that continue to rise.
Mr Masisi pointed out that it was imperative to fast track both the biomedical and behavioural interventions.
He said failing to do so would leave Batswana on the brink of extermination by the epidemic saying they could therefore not afford to let complacency reverse the gains Botswana relentlessly made thus far.
On non-communicable diseases, the Vice President said the diseases were increasingly becoming a threat.
Mr Masisi, who is also NAC chairperson, said there was need to galvanize efforts to prevent them from posing a developmental challenge that might not be handled.
He stated that Botswana was one of the highest consumers of sugar and called upon Batswana to guard against cardiovascular diseases including diabetes.
Presenting a research to inform Botswana interventions and policy direction, Dr Lesego Gabaitiri, stated that HIV hyper-endemic stood at 18.5 per cent prevalence.
Dr Gabaitiri pointed out that the never married women under 25 years contributed to a higher proportion of new infections in most districts.
He pointed out that the under 25 years never married women constituted 16.58 per cent of new infections with 15 per cent in Gaborone, Central Serowe, Central Mahalapye, Chobe and Ghanzi to over 40 per cent in Francistown and Kgatleng.
He, however, said some district exhibited particularly different incidence patterns such as the North East with young epidemic of over 60 per cent of new infections among the never married men and women. He said in other districts, the contribution of single men and women over 25 years old was relatively stable at between 20 and 30 per cent.
Dr Gabaitiri further said the young women epidemic could be caused by trans-generational sex, lower condom use and or earlier sexual debut.
He therefore said efforts to reinvigorate HIV prevention among the youth are urgently needed and require understanding and addressing contextual epidemic drivers. ENDS