Adolescents, infants shy away from ARVs

The ministry of health has expressed worry that some infants and adolescents living with HIV are not yet under Anti-Retroviral (ARV) therapy.

The sentiments were made at a stakeholders’ meeting between the health ministry and Malawi Aids Counselling and Resource Organisation (MACRO) in Lilongwe

Statistics indicate that 930 thousand HIV patients are receiving Anti-Retroviral Treatment while about 53 thousand are adolescents and infants.

Director of the national HIV/AIDS sexual transmitted infections and viral hepatitis program Rose Nyirenda revealed that there is need to promote initiatives aimed to increase awareness.

“Mothers of new born babies and some youths have not been able to access treatment or testing services for various reasons. We are therefore focussing our efforts towards eliminating such existing gaps,” Nyirenda explained.

A private partner, Tingathe program made a commitment towards the achievement of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 benchmarks.

Information sourced from the organizations’ website calls for 95% of HIV-infected individuals to know their status, 95% of patients who know their status to be started and adherent on ART, and 95% of patients on ART to be virally suppressed by 2030.

MACRO executive director Clement Udedi recommends that stakeholders need to strengthen policies and interventions that foster smooth engagement with communities with a specific target towards adolescents and infants.

He said: “There is a lot of work to be done in as far as elimination of some barriers including stigma among those living with HIV/AIDS. More community engagement and awareness programs need to be implemented so that we reach the total eradication of the spread of the virus.”