'Batswana discriminate against HIV+ patients'
Sharon Mathala | Wednesday December 6, 2023 08:49
The event was held in Nata under the theme, 'Let Communities Lead'. Lelatisitswe expressed that government is concerned about human rights barriers, which include stigma and discrimination, violence and negative social attitudes. He said these contribute to the vulnerability of people living with HIV and limit their access to prevention, testing, treatment, and care services. “Although Botswana generally has a protective legal and policy environment towards all citizens, including People Living with HIV, stigma and discrimination towards people seeking HIV services continue to have a negative impact on the fight against HIV,” he said.
According to the Assistant Minister, the findings of the 2021 Stigma Index Survey indicates that a total of 10.2% of People Living with HIV reported having suffered from internal stigma, with men reporting a higher level at 12.6% compared to women at nine percent. “The most common form of internal stigma suffered by People Living with HIV was found to be the inability to disclose one’s HIV positive status, feeling guilty for having contracted the virus, as well as a general feeling of shame and worthlessness,” he added. The National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) recently launched its fifth Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V).
The results of the survey showed that the national HIV prevalence amongst the country’s population aged between 15 and 64 years is 20.8%, which translates to approximately 329,000 adults living with HIV. On the other hand, the rate at which people contract new HIV infection was estimated to be 0.2 percent, which is approximately 2,200 cases of new HIV infections per year amongst adults. The survey also showed that for the first time at a national level, amongst persons aged 15 to 64 years, Botswana has attained and exceeded the UNAIDS global targets of 95-95-95 set as a fast-track strategy to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic by the year 2025. Up to 95% of people living with HIV in Botswana are aware of their positive status, with 98% of those aware of their status being on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), while 98% of those on ART have achieved viral load suppression.
Further interrogation of the results of the research shows that men are lagging behind, with only 93% of them being aware of their HIV-positive status.