From 18.1% in 1992, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the country was 35.4% in 2002.
The report says that the 2002 national HIV prevalence report indicates that a total of 258 000 adults [in the 15-48 years age group] are HIV positive, of which 164 373 are women. The factors fuelling the spread of the epidemic have been identified as poverty, intergenerational sex, culture, gender inequalities, population mobility, urbanisation, stigma and denial.
The UN agencies maintain that: “These staggering rates illustrate the gravity of the epidemic in Botswana, described as a national emergency”.
Quoting the Botswana 2002 HIV Surveillance report, the agencies say the national life expectancy has fallen considerably, from 67 years to 56 years, and the groups hardest hit are the youth aged between 15 and 24, women, orphans and migrant workers and truck drivers.
The agencies say that Botswana finds itself at a critical stage. They say the country has shown strong political commitment and significant efforts, reflected by the increase and extent of the government’s national spending for HIV/AIDS, the introduction of free Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy [HAART] for the public, free PMTCT for all pregnant women and the expansion of VCT services. Others are the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS into the National Development Plan 9, the current revision of the 1998 HIV/AIDS policy, the development of the National Strategic Framework, and the Botswana HIV Response Information Management System (BHRIMS). The report says that civil society and the private sector have become increasingly involved in the AIDS war and today they play a vital role in the Botswana multi-sectoral, multi-facetted response.
The UN agencies add that despite these efforts, the national HIV/AIDS response is still faced with serious challenges. They say the continued indulgence in risky sexual behaviour, denial, fear, stigma and discrimination, insufficient human resources within government and civil society, and the limited technical capacity of NGOs, CBOs, and support groups are some of the major factors that impede the success of anti-HIV/AIDS efforts.
