Namibia warns of HIV infections amid reduction in awareness campaigns
Intensive campaigns about HIV prevention have reduced over time in Namibia despite the gains the country has achieved in the past two decades.
Intensive campaigns about HIV prevention have reduced over time in Namibia despite the gains the country has achieved in the past two decades, Namibia’s Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula warned Thursday.
Speaking at a media briefing in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, Shangula said without critical HIV prevention and control measures, the epidemic could spiral out of control. “More than 13 percent of Namibian adults are HIV positive.”
The gains of the past two decades are fragile, and the number of new HIV cases could increase rapidly if we fail to continue to do what is necessary to prevent and control the spread of HIV, he said, adding that progress has been achieved through a combination of interventions.
“In Namibia, 98 percent of persons who are HIV positive know their status, 92 percent of them have been initiated on treatment, and 93 percent of those who have been initiated on treatment are virally suppressed,” Shangula said.
