Malawi making progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Focusing on the strides that the country has so far made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Government officials, civil society organizations, local and international partners joined the country in commemorating the 2019 World Aids day commemorations held on 1st December at Ngolowindo Primary School Grounds in Salima district.
“Communities make a difference: End AIDS by 2030” was the theme for the commemorations which highlighted the progress that Malawi is making towards meeting the global 90-90-90 target set in 2014 by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and other partners to end the AIDS epidemic. The idea behind the 90-90-90 target is to diagnose 90% of all HIV-positive persons, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 90% of those diagnosed, and achieve viral suppression for 90% of those treated by 2020.
UNAIDS Country Director Mr. Nuha Ceesay said Malawi is making strides in the fight against the epidemic. “Research has shown that every year, Malawi has 38,000 new infections of which 50% of them are found in the youth. This is very worrisome” he said.
Dr Charles Mwansambo, Chief of Health services in the Ministry of Health and Population who was the guest of honour during the function, further explained that as of September 2019, Malawi was at 93-84-92 on the 90-90-90 target and that there is more to be done to reach the 90-90-90 goal by 2030
Designated on 1 December every year since 1988, World AIDS Day is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died from the disease.
