BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Doctors without borders have announced that HIV self-test kit having been flying off the shelves since the festive season begun.
This was revealed in their monthly collective report. The report mentioned the tool used to screen and detect potential infection has been flying off the shelves.
According to the report compiled with the help of World Health Organization (WHO) emaSwati are not showing resistance to the idea of knowing their status.
“We saw and tracked the behaviour of people requesting the self-test kit placed at various health services centres.” read part of the report.
A self-test kit is also known as ‘Ora Quick’ and uses oral fluid to check for antibodies that are developed by the body against HIV.
When given the test and the results come back positive it is encouraged that one visits a health facility for a confirmatory test.
Worth noting is that Eswatini was the first African country to achieve 95-95-95 global HIV target. WHO compiled the report three months ago.
This means that 95 per cent of people living with HIV in Eswatini know their status that 95per cent of people who know their HIV-positive status are accessing treatment and that 95 per cent of people on treatment have suppressed viral load.
When approached for a comment on the report Ministry of Health Principal Secretary (PS) Simon Zwane said these were good news and said as a ministry, they were happy people were warming up to the idea of knowing their status.
“Here is a call for a global shift in the discussion on HIV and knowing their status, and we encourage greater positive engagement in all aspects of the AIDS response and in advancing gender equality.” said Zwane.
Meanwhile this news comes shortly after the country and the world at large celebrated world AIDS day on December 1, 2022.
World AIDS Day is a day that brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.
The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care around the world. It has become one of the most widely recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have died, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.
