Namibia: At the forefront of HIV response amongst moms and youngsters – Stories

September 19, 2024

As in lots of sub-Saharan African countries, women in Namibia are disproportionately affected by HIV. But a targeted, ongoing campaign has put the country on the forefront of the fight against the disease – particularly for moms and youngsters.

Namibia has adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) triple elimination initiative, which goals to finish mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis – deadly pathogens in a region that accounts for nearly two-thirds of the worldwide HIV burden and two-thirds of latest hepatitis B infections.

These efforts have paid off. The rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has fallen by 70% over the past twenty years. In 2022, all pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV were taking antiretroviral therapy, and 96% of babies born to moms living with HIV were born freed from the disease. Namibia can be the primary African country to present greater than half of babies born in 2022 an adequate dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth – one among the WHO’s key indicators for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus.

This yr, WHO recognised Namibia’s groundbreaking progress within the fight against each diseases, which is an exceptional achievement within the region.

Over the following three years, the Global Fund will proceed to take a position in Namibia’s fight against mother-to-child transmission of all three diseases, providing targeted support for integrated and first health care services for girls and families.

This includes community-level efforts to supply testing and treatment for moms and infants; training and mentoring programs for medical experts to integrate testing for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis into antenatal care; information campaigns to make sure pregnant and breastfeeding women learn about PrEP and have access to it; early infant diagnosis and subsequent infant HIV testing; and more.

Namibia’s achievements underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach to health care and investing in strong health systems and communities that may collectively address serious, preventable diseases, in addition to nurture the health of moms, newborns and youngsters.