BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – Eswatini has made major strides in the HIV response to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Eswatini, being the first African country to achieve and surpass the 95-95-95 global HIV treatment targets in 2020, has 94 per cent of adults (15 years and older) living with HIV aware of their status, 97 per cent of those who are aware of their status are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 96 per cent of those on ART have achieved viral suppression.
This was shared by the Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi and the WHO Eswatini report.
Nkosi said the number of new HIV infections shows a steady decline over the years from 14,000 in 2010 to 4,800 in 2020 and is projected to further decline to 4,300 in 2023.
HIV-related deaths have also been on the decline from a peak of about 10,000 deaths in 2005 to 2,600 in 2021 and 2,370 in 2022 (2021 UNAIDs report). The Mother-to-child transmission of HIV has also dropped from 6.3% in 2017 to 1.2% in 2022.
“The strong leadership at both the political and Ministry of Health (MoH) level coupled with World Health Organization Eswatini’s (WHO) presence, has resulted in a well-coordinated response that also complements the support from partners’ evidence-based, patient-centred care at scale,” said the Minister.
In Eswatini, WHO recommendations are the primary documents that inform the implementation of health programs, including revision of National strategic plans and treatment guidelines to suit the Eswatini epidemic status. Over the years, Eswatini has been an early adopter of the WHO HIV treatment recommendations including, policy briefs, guidelines, and tools.
This character trait is what has made the kingdom achieve the 95-95-95 treatment targets ahead of time leading to a decline in HIV new infections and HIV-related deaths.
Worth mentioning is that WHO provided technical leadership and assistance to the Ministry of Health in policy dialogues, development, implementation, and review of the National HIV investment case, strategic plans, and guidelines.
These documents created an enabling environment for the MOH and stakeholders including civil society groups to have a shared vision, harmonising the national response implementation and resource mobilisation efforts from Government and Donors.
