Routine HIV testing begins

Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya says his ministry has begun implementing the universal routine HIV testing, counselling and treatment in all public and private health facilities.

In a ministerial statement Parliament, Dr Chilufya says HIV testing is the gateway to HIV prevention,treatment,care and other support services.

He says people’s knowledge of their HIV status through HIV testing services is therefore crucial to the success to the national response to bring the HIV epidemic under control.

He states that the policy of offering immediate treatment to everyone diagnosed with HIV provides three major benefits, namely the quality of life is improved as opportunistic infections will not be there, stopping the progression from just being asymptomatic HIV infected to AIDS, and averting new infections as those infected will achieve viral load suppression and therefore drastically reduce the chances of transmitting the virus.

Dr Chilufya says the universal routine test and treat is a mechanism through which Zambia will contribute to the global commitments of ending ends as a public health epidemic by 2030.

He adds that the test and treat strategy breaks many barriers which previously hindered HIV interventions.

He points out that the test and treat strategy will eliminate the need for determining CD4 count as a requirement prior to commencement of treatment, avoid delays in commencing ART in rural setting where there are no laboratories and simplifies treatment and facilitates expansion of ART services.

Dr Chilufya adds that test and treat generally improves retention in care compared to pre-ART.