Botswana: Behaviour Change Tops World Aids Day Agenda
By, Chedza Simon, The Voice (Francistown), December 12, 2006
Speaking at the World AIDS Day Commemoration held at Tsabong last Friday, Minister of Health Sheila Tlou urged the nation to change sexual behaviour in order to achieve an HIV/AIDS free generation.
Minister Tlou called on her audience to utilise AIDS day to introspect on successes and challenges eminent in fighting AIDS.
She said: "HIV AIDS has been with us for a little more than two decades. We have lost loved ones and breadwinners and our children have been left without parents. Indeed we cry in sorrow but not in despair," she said to a large and attentive crowd.
Although some strides have been made such as the encouraging decline in HIV infection levels, there were still some great challenges to be faced such as very high HIV prevalence rates.
"I wish to reiterate this fact and urge all of you not to be complacent, but to be vigilant and relentless in keeping the promise until we eventually have an AIDS free generation some day."
The Minister revealed that relative to Botswana having a resource poor setting, the country has demonstrated to the world that ARV therapy can work even in resource poor settings.
"This is in view of the skepticism initially expressed by some to the effect that due to low literacy levels in these settings, adherence to treatment would be unattainable. Botswana has proven differently, we have achieved 85% adherence rate since the inception of treatment," she revealed to an overwhelming applause.
Tlou explained that this success has opened doors that would otherwise been difficult to open.
"We offer lessons to be learnt and best practices to be adapted to both the developing world and the developed. Through our fight for survival, we have presented the world, particularly the developing world with a window of hope that it can happen, even in Africa."
Speaking at the World AIDS Day Commemoration held at Tsabong last Friday, Minister of Health Sheila Tlou urged the nation to change sexual behaviour in order to achieve an HIV/AIDS free generation.
Minister Tlou called on her audience to utilise AIDS day to introspect on successes and challenges eminent in fighting AIDS.
She said: "HIV AIDS has been with us for a little more than two decades. We have lost loved ones and breadwinners and our children have been left without parents. Indeed we cry in sorrow but not in despair," she said to a large and attentive crowd.
Although some strides have been made such as the encouraging decline in HIV infection levels, there were still some great challenges to be faced such as very high HIV prevalence rates.
"I wish to reiterate this fact and urge all of you not to be complacent, but to be vigilant and relentless in keeping the promise until we eventually have an AIDS free generation some day."
The Minister revealed that relative to Botswana having a resource poor setting, the country has demonstrated to the world that ARV therapy can work even in resource poor settings.
"This is in view of the skepticism initially expressed by some to the effect that due to low literacy levels in these settings, adherence to treatment would be unattainable. Botswana has proven differently, we have achieved 85% adherence rate since the inception of treatment," she revealed to an overwhelming applause.
Tlou explained that this success has opened doors that would otherwise been difficult to open.
"We offer lessons to be learnt and best practices to be adapted to both the developing world and the developed. Through our fight for survival, we have presented the world, particularly the developing world with a window of hope that it can happen, even in Africa."
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 11:38 am
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