Government says the country has recorded tremendous improvements in the delivery of comprehensive HIV\AIDS care.
And Government has expressed sadness that out of the 134 000 people on Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) only eight percent of them are children.
ZANIS reports that Health Minister Brian Chituwo attributed the improvements in the delivery of comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care to the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR).
Speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Health Deputy Minister Dr. Lwipa Puma during the official launch of the international HIV counselling and testing conference Dr. Chituwo said through PEPFAR support health care workers have been trained to provide counselling and testing services adding that facilities have also been upgraded to provide space for counselling and testing services.
Dr. Chituwo also disclosed that his ministry has already set up programmes to train child counsellors and pediatric Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) providers and that it has also implemented a policy on early diagnosis of HIV in children less than eighteen months.
Dr. Chituwo said the diagnosis will be done through a referral network for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.
On the low uptake of children on ART, Dr Chituwo attributed this to lack of facilities for early diagnosis of HIV in children and inadequate ART pediatric providers and child counsellors
And speaking earlier, United States Charge De Affairs Michael Koplovsky said HIV/AIDS is the greatest health crisis ever in the history of mankind.
Mr Koplovsky said there is need for more people to go for VCT for early diagnosis in order to access treatment.
And Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+) Chairperson Miriam Banda has called on leaders in the country to disclose their status in order to fight stigma.
Mrs. Banda who is living with the HIV virus said stigma has continued to be a barrier in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The conference has attracted over 27 delegates from across the globe.
We need to improve sanitation and nutrition in Zambia to curb HIV/AIDS.
Government should introduce a new scheme called “Job Creation for All”. This will help end poverty in the country. Govt can train Healthcare workers to help combat HIV/AIDS
Communities should be encouraged to work in their own areas and develop resources. Everyone from school drop outs to degree holders should get involved and work as a community. Giving jobs to communities will narrow the gap between rich and poor.
Who is refusing the children to get ARVs?
Coming from a fairly poor family of six girls and six boys, dad was against educating the girl child, life in Zed is tough without an income, so most of the girls in my family are prostitutes, some of them HIV pos. They still operate on streets and bars, men are always blinded by the beauties standing in front of them, without thinking twice what’s skin deep! My sisters clients varies from married men, business men, white men, indians, nigerians etc., to the local kaponyas. Zambia Beware!!!!!!!!
How sustainable are ARVs/ART without PEPFAR funds? Somebody highlight.