Big Up To Earlier HIV Treatment

Botswana has made significant strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and continues to dedicate resources to this cause as evidenced by the launch of yet another preventative strategy. The initiative launched by President Ian Khama on Friday will enable all HIV people to start treatment as soon as diagnosed.

What this means is that all Batswana diagnosed HIV positive will receive antiretrovirals earlier than  reaching the 350 CD4 count, which used to be the starting point for treatment. This approach will see approximately 100,000 more people enrolling in the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) this month. In the past, there have been instances where people are enrolled in the therapy when they are very weak.

This had a number of implications for instance nutritional complications hence government dug deeper in public coffers to provide food baskets. Moreover, ill-health has contributed to lack of productivity as no human being can deliver optimally when unwell. The previous CD4 count cut-off opened room for stigma, as some people would get treatment when their immune system was at a low.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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