NDC-Related Mortalities Worry Dikoloti
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday August 31, 2020 14:53
These diseases include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions.
Dikoloti made known his concerns while speaking at the launch of month of prayer against HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics. “According to the NCDs risk factors survey of 2014, 30.6% of Batswana are overweight and obese, 18% smoke, 20% do not engage in physical activity, while 95% do not eat fruits and vegetables,” he said. “Globally NCD-driven mortalities are the leading causes of death, and in Botswana they were estimated to account for 46% of all deaths in 2016. Amongst these deaths, 18% were due to cardiovascular diseases, seven percent are due to cancer, four percent are due to chronic respiratory diseases, whilst six percent were due to diabetes.”
On the issue of HIV/AIDS, the minister said despite the successes Botswana have scored in the fight against the disease over the years, the latest UNAIDS report indicates that Botswana is the fourth highest HIV prevalence in the world; after eSwatini, Lesotho and South Africa. Dikoloti said the UNAIDS World AIDS report released in July 2020 annual estimates of HIV infections for Botswana show that the virus dropped from 13,000 in 2010 to about 9,500 in 2019, translating to a decline of 36%. “This decline is indicative or evidence of the collective contribution made by society, and buoyed by the favourable impact from our various partners’ contributions. While this achievement is notable, Botswana is still far from the required global target of reducing annual HIV infections by 75% in order to attain epidemiological control,” the minister said.
Dikoloti said current data shows that the Mahalapye Sub-District is one of the hardest hit with an HIV prevalence of 23.1%.
In addition, the minister stated Botswana’s HIV cases are mostly influenced by behavioural factors such as multiple concurrent sexual relationships, inconsistent and incorrect condom use, alcohol and other substance abuse, and intergenerational relationships. He said all of these are exacerbated by structural factors such as poverty, unemployment, social inequalities and gender-based violence, especially rape. On other issues, the minister said the pandemic has had a telling economic toll and impact on health systems globally, and still continues to threaten the very core of global health security.
“This, therefore, requires a level of national and international action that is unprecedented for a health emergency. We need as a nation, to individually and collectively address factors that can mitigate the magnitude and virulence of this outbreak, and by extension, the constellation of threats to lives and livelihoods due to the outbreak,” he said.