MW Govt Eager to End HIV/AIDS by 2030… Ready to implement Fast Track Report targets

MW Govt Eager to End HIV/AIDS by 2030… Ready to implement Fast Track Report targets

Malawi Government is optimistic to end AIDS pandemic by 2030 as targeted by the recent UNAIDS report ‘Fast Track Strategy to end AIDS by 2030’.

Secretary for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS in the Office of President and Cabinet Edith Mkawa in an interview said the government is ready to ensure that it is more aggressive on HIV and AIDS issues through intensifying awareness campaigns and implementation of the UNAIDS Fast Track strategy.

She said starting this month of December where the world commemorate HIV and AIDS effects, Malawi will intensify its activism beginning Monday 1^st December with World AIDS day event in Karonga, by focusing on spreading information on benefits of male circumcision.

“This year’s World AIDS day we are focusing on three zeros. Zero discrimination, zero new infections and zero deaths due to HIV. Along with that we are also going to be talking a lot on male circumcision because we have found that with Medical Male Circumcision there is a lot of progress.” Said Mkawa

She said from these messages men will also be warned that medical male circumcision does not protect them fully from HIV but it is just one way of helping to protect them from HIV and they need to maintain following other protection methods like having one sex partner, condom use.

On Fast Track report she said “We will be implementing what they are recommending so that we give more information out there to the communities. We will be more aggressive in the way we approach HIV so that at least there are more people that go for testing, put on treatment, and that some of the issues like stigma and discrimination that affect people and prevent them from going for testing and receiving treatment we deal with them by 2030.”

“So we are hoping that by 2030 we should make progress”

However, Mkawa urged every Malawian and every institution to take part in supporting government in the fight of HIV pandemic saying government alone cannot make a great impact.

But Malawi must to do a lot in achieving this dream considering that Malawi still rely on donor support on HIV response where 90% of funding comes from Global Fund.

As UNAIDS Fast Track to end AIDS by 2030 urges all low- and middle-income countries to bring domestic funding into line with their national wealth and HIV burden, there is fear that Global Fund might delay funding to Malawi following alleged misuse of HIV and AIDS response funds at National Aids Commission (NAC).

Recent media reports reveals sum of K57. 4 Million for HIV response at NAC was donated to institutions not involved in HIV response where, the Malawi First Lady’s initiative ‘Beautify Malawi Trust (BEAM)’ received up to K5 Million, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) got K43 Million and Mulhako Wa Lomwe received K9.4 Million when the said institutions requested NAC to fund their activities.

Five CSOs CHRR, Cedep, Mehen, Manet+ and Manelela are demanding Country Coordinating Mechanism Committee of the Global Fund (CCM) to swiftly investigate and bring those responsible to book and immediate dissolution of NAC Board and be replaced by one with sober minded individuals.

As the world is embarking on a Fast-Track strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, Malawi is among Low-and Middle-Income countries that account for 89% of all new HIV infections.

“To reach this visionary goal after three decades of the most serious epidemic in living memory, countries will need to use the powerful tools available, hold one another accountable for results and make sure that no one is left behind.” Reads the UNAIDS report

The report indicates that without scale-up, the AIDS epidemic will continue to outrun the response, increasing the long-term need for HIV treatment and increasing future costs.

“There is a strong global consensus that the tools now exist to end the AIDS epidemic. This confidence is based on a combination of major scientific breakthroughs and accumulated lessons learned over more than a decade of scaling up the AIDS response worldwide. The achievement of targets built on these tools now needs to be fast-tracked.” Says the report

The report further indicates that HIV treatment can dramatically extend the lifespan of people living with HIV and effectively prevent HIV transmission. And condom programming, behaviour change, voluntary medical male circumcision and programmes with key populations are opportunities that have capacity “to sharply lower” rates of new HIV infections.

“HIV infections may not disappear in the foreseeable future, but the AIDS epidemic can be ended as a global health threat. To achieve this by 2030, the number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths will need to decline by 90% compared to 2010.” Adds the UNAIDS report