US Global AIDS Coordinator commends Namibia’s HIV/AIDS fight

• By Confidente Reporter

UNITED States Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Dr John Nkengasong complimented Namibia on her exceptional progress towards meeting the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) target of 95-95-95 and eliminating HIV as a public health hazard by 2030.

Ambassador Nkengasong was in the country on a three-day working visit that coincided with the 20th President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the 18th anniversary of saving lives in Namibia.

During his three-day visit, Ambassador Nkengasong met with Namibian government officials and other partners heading the HIV epidemic control plan.

He paid a courtesy visit to Deputy Prime Minister, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to discuss health financing, HIV programming, and sustainability.

In Namibia, 92 percent of persons are aware of their HIV status, 99 percent are on treatment, and 94 percent of those on treatment are virally suppressed, meaning the virus is not detectable in their systems.    

Nkengasong stated that Namibia is a model for other nations in the area in terms of creative initiatives and techniques to control the HIV epidemic.

PEPFAR will provide US$88 million, or more than N$1.6 billion, in financing to support the national HIV/TB response in 2023.  PEPFAR in Namibia is implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Peace Corps.

Ambassador Nkengasong visited the Grassroots Soccer (GRS), an adolescent health programme that leverages the power of football to educate, inspire, and mobilise youth to overcome their greatest health challenges, live healthier, more productive lives and be agents of change in their communities.

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