Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo says though past efforts to combat HIV and AIDS have yielded results, challenges remain with the country recording about 28,000 new cases annually.
Officiating at the COP23 mid-term review stakeholders engagement meeting yesterday, Ms Masebo said the creation of the United States President’s Emergence Plan For Aids Relief (PEPFAR) has greatly assisted Zambia to address not only HIV but TB as well.
“[But] challenges persist with 28,000 new HIV infections annually,” she said. “This is particularly among adolescents and young people who lack awareness of preventive measures.”
Ms Masebo said intensifying efforts to prevent new HIV infections and addressing existing gaps in response is crucial. She said Government’s efforts to find HIV-infected individuals who are unaware of their status is hampered by lack of better surveillance tools.
“We are trying to find the best estimates of the number of people living with HIV in Zambia,” the minister said.
“Even if the various surveys have given an indication, we are still not confident of this estimate.” (Zambia Daily Mail)