Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Visiting UNAIDS Executive Director and UN under-secretary general Winnie Byanyima has commended Zambia for the strides made in fighting HIV and AIDS, and reducing related deaths by putting over 1.2 million people living with HIV on treatment.
Ms. Byanyima has however, noted that the biggest challenge the country has is on how to protect girls and young women from new infections and reducing the rate of new infections from the reported 20,000 infections in 2020.
She has observed that the epi-centre of HIV and AIDS is East and Southern Africa and concentrated in southern Africa with Zambia accounting for 1.4 million people infected.
Ms. Byanyima is saddened that 4,200 young girls in sub Saharan Africa are infected every week the biggest number of new infections that rises serious concerns.
She has asked the international community to support Zambia in its program of keeping girls in school as this is the best way to protect girls from new infections, adding that girls and young women account for a large proportion of new infections.
Ms. Byanyima who is in Zambia to appreciate the efforts Zambia is making in the fight against HIV and AIDS under the Lusaka fast track cities initiative funded by UNAIDS was speaking to Journalists in shortly after her interaction with one of the projects under the initiative, Busapile community support group of people living with HIV and Aids in Mandevu compound.
And Lusaka Mayor Chilando Chitangala says Busapile community support group is one of the success projects under the Lusaka fast track cities initiative with 300 HIV positive women who gave birth to HIV negative children.
Ms. Chitangala says the support of UNAIDS to Lusaka fast track cities initiative has helped to reduce new infections of HIV in the city.