ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia is struggling against resource limitations and compliance changes to meet its target of the 90-90-90 HIV/AIDS target which it set to meet by 2020, Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (FHAPCO) disclosed.
Though the performance shows some increment, it is not likely to meet the set target, the Office noted.
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Behavioral Change Case Team Coordinator at FHAPCO, Seyoum Gebremeskel told The Ethiopian Herald that Ethiopia adopted the global 90-90-90 target in 2017 which is part of the strategies designed to eliminate HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.
The target aims to enable 90 percent of all people to undergo testing and declare their HIV status, 90 percent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 90 percent of all people receiving ART to have viral suppression by 2020.
Hence, as the national prevalenceof HIV is 0.9 percent it is expected that in Ethiopia 649,264 people are living with HIV, Seyoum said. From this 510,971 of the expected HIV positive hold HIV taste and know their status which is 79 percent in the base line which was 72 percent in 2017, he added.
The Coordinator stated that 467,769 of the diagnosed are on treatment (ART) which is 81.1 percent. And from those using ART, 415, 526 have a viral suppression rate of 87.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Seyoum noted that the diagnosed on treatment and viral suppression of the 90s targets are 79, 81.1 and 87.7 percent respectively. This indicates the viral suppression and treatment targets are showing good improvements while the diagnosed target remains a lot.
For him as the country has planed the National HIV/AIDS prevention Roadmap which is an investment case approach to reduce the number of new infection to 3,900 by 2020. Yet currently close to 13,000 people are newly infected annually which indicates the country needs to accelerate its efforts to meet the target in the remaining year.
Citing the 2016 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 70 percent of the youth from 15 to 24 have not any real image about HIV while the exposing factors are growing. Hence it needs new mobilization and communication efforts to fill the gap.
Seyoum stated that as the international fund for HIV is reduced in a huge way even the fund for prevention is now close to zero while the fund for treatment remain somehow better.
To solve the challenge Ethiopia is preparing Local Resource Mobilization Strategy to launch soon and the office gives due attention for targeted service, Seyoum said.
He calls the media and stakeholders to renew their commitment to prevent HIV/AIDS as the country adopted the 2030 target of eliminating HIV epidemic of the global target plan plus Ethiopia is found at the least stage of HIV prevention by UNAIDS.
World HIV/AIDS day was celebrated for the 33rd times in the world and 32nd in Ethiopia this week with the theme “Community makes a difference”.
The Ethiopian Herald December 7/2019
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
