Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Vice President Inonge Wina
Vice President Inonge Wina says it is possible for the world to fight and conquer the HIV/AIDS pandemic if nations worked together with a single voice to combat the scourge.
Mrs. Wina has observed that the world has recorded tremendous progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS with 21 million people living with HIV across the globe having been placed on antiretroviral therapy, the life-saving treatment.
The Vice-President says while there have been incredible achievements in global efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, nations should not become complacent because adolescent and young women have remained vulnerable to the pandemic despite global statistics indicating hope of winning the fight.
The Republican President said this when she delivered a key note address to the 62nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) High Level side event on implementing the Commission on the Status of Women the Girl Child and HIV Resolution 60/2 in New York.
She says the CSW Resolution 60/2 is an important commitment made by United Nations Member States to address women’s and girls’ heightened vulnerability to HIV due to gender inequalities, harmful gender norms, and social structures.
Mrs. Wina states that it is disheartening that adolescent girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 years globally accounted for approximately 6,900 new HIV infections every week.
The Vice-President furthermore states that the situation of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is particularly dire as three in four new infections in the ages between 15 and 19 years in 2016 were among girls.
She has however told the Member States that Zambia has seen a decline in new infections from 77,000 in 2010 to 46,000 in 2016 and that Government has invested in keeping girls in school and providing comprehensive sexuality education in its quest to continue reducing the statistics of infections.
The Vice-President says Zambia has been working at addressing discrimination in health care systems by ensuring that all women living with HIV got quality and comprehensive SRHR and HIV services.
Last week, Zambia launched, together with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, an Integrated Health Situation Room showing real-time service delivery data, giving us a comprehensive picture and understanding of key health areas in Zambia.
This is contained in a statement issued to QTV News by Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations First Press Secretary Wallen Simwaka.