03 Oct 2022

HIV testing rate in Ngamiland, which had plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to pick up  now that the disease has subsided.

Ngamiland District Health Management Team (DHMT) coordinator, Dr Sandra Maripe lamented that currently the rate stood at 60 per cent, down from the pre-COVID-19 figure of 93 per cent.

 Last year it was 82 per cent, she said. Dr Maripe was speaking in Maun on Sunday during the month of prayer closing ceremony.

She said in addition to government facilities, HIV testing services were also provided by NGOs and entities such as  Botswana Christian and Intervention Programme, Botswana Family Welfare Association, Tebelopele and BDF.

Dr Maripe said the HIV positive proportion rate for Ngamiland was at four per cent, which meant that, out of 100 people who tested, four would be HIV positive.

HIV prevalence in mothers stood at 21 per cent, she revealed.

The coordinator said it was worrying that babies were still being born with the virus despite government having intensified the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission  (PMTCT)programme.

Dr Maripe said this year, two babies were born with the virus, one more than last year.

 “We are doing well as Botswana in the PMTCT programme hence WHO’s recognition of Botswana as a champion in PMTCT,’’ she said. Dr Maripe explained that the recognition was in the form of conferment of a silver status.

“Our aim is to move to gold status,” she said.

On another HIV-related issue, Dr Maripe said a total of 16 155 patients had enrolled for ARV therapy out of which 119 were children under the age of 12 while 319 were expatriates.

Dr Maripe said the district’s 30 facilities applied the treat all strategy on everyone who tested positive following the 2016 government decision.

She implored patients not to discontinue treatment in the event they experienced challenges with medication.

Instead, they should consult medical professionals, she said.

Dr Maripe expressed concern over stigmatisation of HIV patients, alarming rate of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and gender based violence. Ends