Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla says it is possible to end the HIV pandemic. It was announced during the conference that currently there is only 77% of people living with HIV that are on treatment.
Delivering the closing remarks during the 11th South African AIDS Conference in Durban, Phaahla says the country needs to focus on ensuring that more people are on antiretroviral treatment.
“As a conference has shown best practices, especially using data in decision-making there is a need to relook at the syndromic approach for optimisation. I’ve listen to various tracks, professionals, the scientists who shared with us new innovations, community members who shared their lived experience of living with the virus and still enduring. So, up to today, we also listened to development partners. We need to indeed act now more than ever to end the epidemic that has been part of our lives for many decades.”
Meanwhile, an activist from Kenya, Brian Macharia used the closing ceremony as a platform to call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urge his Ugandan counterpart President Yoweri Museveni to repeal the Anti Homosexuality Act.
“The 2023 Anti Homosexuality Act was signed into law in Uganda. It is one of the extreme anti homosexuality laws in the world. By signing this authoritarian anti human rights legislation President Museveni is waging a deadly attack on his own citizens and further estranging Uganda from the rest of the world. Museveni’s action is a full on attack on queer Ugandans, human rights to life. We are outraged by the silence of the South African government. President Cyril Ramaphosa must act now, and publicly condemn this law. President Cyril Ramaphosa must call on President Museveni to stop it immediately,” says Macharia.
Museveni’s signing into law anti-homosexuality bill: Corlett Letlojane
Meanwhile, Dr Phaahla added that there was a need to also mobilise men to test and know their HIV status, in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The country has reached a target of 92% for the diagnosis of all HIV positive individuals, compared to the UN’s 95% target for 2030.
“More work lies ahead if indeed we are going to be able to reach these targets. There are still notable gaps in terms of case finding, especially as we said, amongst us men who are very reluctant to seek medical and healthcare, so it is up to us. You got a lot to do honourable Sdumo Dlamini, and all of us, in terms of mobilising men to encourage all of us to know our status also in terms of rolling out access for children and adolescents.”
It’s day two of the 11th SA Aids Conference in Durban – Minoshni Pillay updates:
