AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Congratulates the Kingdom of Swaziland as New HIV Infections Fall by 44%
September 14 2017 - 3:30AM
Business Wire
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest
global HIV/AIDS organization, congratulates Swaziland on its recent
HIV/AIDS response milestone. Data presented at the International
AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science in Paris reveals that
new HIV infections in Swaziland have fallen by 44%, and over 73% of
people living with HIV in the country now have an undetectable
viral load.
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AHF HIV/AIDS awareness campaign (Photo:
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According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS), Swaziland has an HIV prevalence rate of 28.8%, with about
220,000 of its people living with HIV. With this remarkable
achievement, lowering the number of new HIV infections,
Swaziland has joined a select list of countries who are
on track to achieving UNAIDS 90-90-90 Fast-Track goals.
“This is indeed a true reflection of the situation in Swaziland
and I would definitely attribute it to improved treatment coverage
and commitment on the part of both the government and partners like
AHF who daily work to ensure that access to treatment is not
hampered,” enthused Dr. Nduduzo Dube, Country Program
Manager AHF Swaziland.
“In 2008, Swaziland embarked on a major task-shifting exercise;
training nurses to initiate Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), and
commenced the decentralization of ART services to the most remote
areas of the country. The MOH also ensured that there were no
stock-outs of ARV drugs; as a result there was no delay in
treatment initiation and no interruption of treatment,” he
added.
Since 2007, AHF has supported the government of Swaziland
through the Ministry of Health to provide free HIV testing and
treatment services to those who need it and has pioneered
innovative approaches that have contributed to the success of
Swaziland’s HIV/AIDS response.
“AHF was one of the pioneers of the Outreach Testing program
through it’s One Million Tests Campaign in 2008, the Ten Million
Tests Campaign in 2009 and the Rapid Testing Program (RTP), all of
which helped boost Swaziland’s HIV testing coverage,”
said Terri Ford, AHF’s Chief of Global Advocacy and
Policy.
As AHF prepares to mark its 10 years of service delivery in
Swaziland, this news serves as an icing on the cake, for an
organization whose quest for global AIDS control continues to drive
its vision.
“In Swaziland, AHF provides care and treatment to over 26,000
people living with HIV. Remarkably, since December last year AHF
Swaziland has been running routine viral loads for our patients and
I am proud to announce that a cross sectional analysis of the
cohort has shown viral suppression between 92-94% over the last 6
months,” explained Dr. Penninah Iutung, AHF Africa
Bureau Chief. “Viral suppression in HIV/AIDS patients is a key
element in helping break the chain of new infections, as
individuals successfully on treatment and with low viral loads are
much less likely to pass on the infection to their partners.”
“We are indeed proud of Swaziland’s recent accomplishments, a
testament to the fact that political will and treatment
accessibility can help us bring the epidemic under control. It is a
lesson for all of us,” she said.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global
AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services
to over 807,000 individuals in 39 countries worldwide in the US,
Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and
Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our
website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on
Twitter: @aidshealthcare and
Instagram: @aidshealthcare.
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AHF AFRICA MEDIA CONTACTOluwakemi GbadamosiSenior Manager
PR and Communications – Africa
BureauOluwakemi.gbadamosi@aidshealth.org