Key populations still at risk of HIV—Chiponda
Malawi is close to achieving the 2030 United Nations Aids (UNAids) targets with a reduction in new HIV infections and Aids-related deaths by over 50 percent between 2010 and 2022, the Ministry of Health has disclosed.
But the ministry said despite the strides, more needs to be done because key and vulnerable populations still bear a higher burden of HIV.
Briefing the media in Lilongwe yesterday ahead of the World Aids Day commemoration today, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said by June 2023, about 94 percent of people living with HIV were aware of their status while 99 of them were on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and 95 percent of those on ART have their viral load suppressed, surpassing the UNAids 95-95-95 HIV epidemic control targets.
She said the country has also registered a decline in new HIV infections by 73 percent between 2010 and 2022 while Aids-related deaths have also been reduced by 68 percent during the same period.
“Out of an estimated 1 million people living with HIV in Malawi, 927 000 were alive on lifelong Antiretroviral treatment by the end of June 2023,” said the minister.
Chiponda hailed donors, particularly the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), Global Fund, UNAids and all UN agencies, implementing partners, research and academia, the media, the private sector, civil society and health care workers for their contribution to achieving the milestones.
But she observed that despite these strides, more still needs to be done as key and vulnerable populations such as those in sex work were still at risk.
“For example, female sex workers have the highest prevalence at 49.9 percent followed by people who inject drugs at 27 percent,” said the minister.
Malawi is estimated to have about one million people living with HIV.
UNAids country director Nuha Ceesay called for financial support, political commitment and increased awareness to enable more people to get tested, know their status and start treatment on time.
He said: “We have seen a lot of progress and we celebrate those successes, but we haven’t seen the end of HIV and Aids yet.
Earlier on Wednesday, United States of America Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs Melanie Higgins said the US Government, through Pepfar, has invested $1 billion (about K1.7 trillion) in HIV and Aids programming, contributing to HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
According to NAC, by June 2022, a total of 927 478 people had been diagnosed with HIV, with 920 226 of those being enrolled on the life-prolonging ARVs and 874 225 had their viral load suppressed.
Malawi has reduced Aids-related deaths from 32 000 in 2010 to 9 511 in 2022.
