Key populations vital in the fight against AIDS
Zolani Kraai | Tuesday August 19, 2014 14:54
Former President and Chairperson of the National AIDS Council, Festus Mogae, said this when officiating at the National AIDS Council (NAC) 20th meeting held in Gaborone on Thursday. Mogae said, like other populations that were vulnerable to the HIV and AIDS, there was need to ensure that key populations accessed prevention, treatment and care services. He said Botswana is at a point where the existence of such populations could not be denied given their current and potential contribution to the epidemic landscape.
“This forum will give us an opportunity to appreciate what government and its partners have put in place to address the key populations’ issues,” he said Mogae said Botswana had adopted and started implementing combination prevention approach to addressing HIV.
“Again, I am happy to inform you that Botswana has adopted the combination prevention approach to resolving HIV and this requires the full use of a mix of behavioural, biomedical, social normative and structural strategies to prevention of HIV,” Mogae said. Another issue discussed at the NAC meet included a report on measuring stigma and discrimination among people living with HIV in Botswana.
Last year, the Botswana Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (BONEPWA+) in collaboration with National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) conducted the Stigma Index survey with the aim to establish the level of stigma in the household and the community.
The survey was conducted in the selected areas and people living with HIV and AIDS participated in the process through the facilitation of the interviews.
It has since emerged from the report that stigma still exists in the community and workplace though efforts from the past and current behavioural change interventions have significantly reduced its level and discrimination.