Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT) is doubtful Zambia will achieve the 2030 goal of eliminating the AIDS epidemic going by the fraction of the population that is testing for the disease annually.
SAT is relying on the 2011 HIV testing uptake report that indicated that only 15 percent of the country’s population made the effort to know their HIV/AIDS statuses.
SAT country Director Zoonadi Ngwenya says although the survey was made 3 years ago it is a clear indication that there is more that needs to be done to encourage the Zambians t
o know their status.
Mr. Ngwenya says this is why SAT is advocating for HIV Self Testing (HST) which is already helping other countries improve the HIV testing uptake.
He says Malawi where in 2011 the HIV testing uptake was reported to be at 34 percent of the country’s population, provides a good example to Zambia.
Mr. Ngwenya was speaking this morning during the launch of the HIV Self-Testing Reports dialogue meeting in Lusaka.
Earlier, National AIDS Council (NAC) Director Jabbin Mulwanda said testing for HIV is the entry point to care and treatment.
Dr. Mulwanda says this is particularly now that the country has the ambitious plan of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.
He states that if Zambia is to achieve this goal, one of things it ought to do is to put as many people suffering from the disease as possible on treatment, but that doing so will first need people to do HIV testing.