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WHO, UNAIDS welcome mandatory HIV testing
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programmed on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have commended the Government of Zambia for its commitment to ensuring that people in Zambia know their HIV status, have universal access to Antiretroviral therapy and are virally suppressed in line with the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020; and achieve the overall goal to ending AIDS by 2030 as a public health threat.
In a joint statement issued to QTV News today, the statement says of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in Zambia, only 67% know their status.
The statement states that there are therefore, approximately 400,000 people who do not know that they are living with HIV.
It furthermore states that the situation calls for intensive, innovative and effective HIV testing strategies that are in line with WHO and UNAIDS global guidance.
Zambia has adapted the WHO Consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services (HTS) in line with the key principles of Consent, Confidentiality, Counseling, Correct Test Results and connection to HIV prevention, treatment and care (the 5Cs principles).
Zambia has been implementing Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC) since 2008.
The statement says this is the reason why WHO and UNAIDS welcome the government’s call to reinforce the implementation of universal routine HIV testing in line with the above 5C principles.
In this regard, WHO and UNAIDS will continue to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to provide technical support and guidance in the review and dissemination of HIV testing services protocols and standard operating procedures to ensure that they are in line with the global recommendations of human rights-based approaches.
WHO and UNAIDS have since called on all Zambians to access HIV Testing Services, know their HIV status; and those tested positive start and adhere to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in order to achieve sustained viral suppression.