Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 10/20/2003

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

CONTENT:

1 - BOTSWANA: All public health facilities to offer HIV testing

2 - CONGO: UN to provide ARVs for 1,000 HIV-positive people

1 - BOTSWANA: All public health facilities to offer HIV testing

GABORONE, 20 October (PLUSNEWS) - In a bid to encourage people to begin

anti-AIDS treatment early, Botswana will introduce routine HIV testing at

all public health facilities next year, President Festus Mogae said on

Friday.

" It is expected that all patients presenting with symptoms associated with

HIV/AIDS will be routinely offered an HIV test, with the opportunity to

opt out should they so desire. The same will take place at antenatal

clinics, and clinics where sexually transmitted infections are treated, "

Mogae said.

" Let me hasten to emphasise that testing will not be compulsory, but

routine with consent. Further, respect to privacy and confidentiality will

continue to be maintained, " he added.

Out of a population of 1.7 million, an estimated 300,000 Batswana are

infected with HIV, of whom 110,000 are believed to be at the stage where

they are in need of antiretroviral therapy.

But the success of anti-AIDS programmes has been adversely affected by the

reluctance of Batswana to know their HIV status.

Despite the provision of free, confidential, same-day testing countrywide

by the Tebelopele Voluntary Testing and Counselling Centre, only 65,000

people have made use of the facilities. As a result, people have tended to

go on ARV therapy much too late, causing an unnecessary burden on the

public health system. Over 60 percent of bed occupancy in clinics is

HIV/AIDS related.

Ketlhomilwe Moletsane, executive secretary of the Botswana Council of

Non-Governmental Organisations, applauded the government's move. " I think

it is stimulating people to come forward and test for HIV/AIDS. It will be

consensus based and will not be compulsory, " he told PlusNews. " The progra

mmes for [AIDS] intervention are not being used to the fullest right now. "

The government's decision on testing was based on the recommendation of

the National AIDS Council. It was also designed to destigmatise the virus

by compelling Batswana to confront the threat posed by the epidemic.

" I invite the private sector to also consider introducing routine testing

in their facilities. I wish to also appeal to various sectors to encourage

as many people as possible to test and know their status. One possible

avenue is routine testing before a major life event, such as marriage, "

said Mogae.

[ENDS]

2 - CONGO: UN to provide ARVs for 1,000 HIV-positive people

BRAZZAVILLE, 20 October (PLUSNEWS) - The UN system in the Republic of

Congo is to provide 1,000 HIV-positive people with antiretroviral

treatment, the UN country coordinator Aurelien Agbenonci has said in the

capital, Brazzaville.

" Given the high cost of treatment, it is only by means of a strengthened

national and international solidarity that we can mobilise the necessary

resources to facilitate effective ARV treatment programmes, " he said.

" This is the reason for the action taken by the UN system to reinforce

national initiatives with a view to enabling a greater number of people

living with HIV to have access to ARVs. "

The programme is designed to give particular attention to include people

from the poorest segment of the population.

The announcement was made on Wednesday in connection with the UN's launch

of a weeklong campaign to inform the country of the Millennium Development

Goals [www.un.org/millenniumgoals/].

According to the UN, only 133 Congolese are currently receiving ARV

treatment in the country.

The cost of ARV treatment in the Congo remains a major problem for most.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the annual cost is about

240,000 francs CFA (US $442) per year, roughly two-thirds of the average

annual income.

" We are organising on 17 October a dinner of solidarity, with the

objective of mobilising funds to help to enable these 1,000 people to have

access to care for a one-year period, " Agbenonci said.

He added that the funds raised would be managed by a tripartite committee

consisting of representatives from the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS

(UNAIDS), the secretariat of the National Council to Combat AIDS (Conseil

national de lutte contre le SIDA), and people living with HIV/AIDS.

According to the Congolese government, about 10 percent of the country's

population of 3.1 million may be HIV-positive.

A similar initiative to provide ARVs for 1,000 people was announced in

April by the Ministry of Health. However, due to a lack of resources, the

project has experienced difficulties in getting started.

[see earlier IRIN story, " Health minister announces ARV treatment for

1,000 " , at http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=33957]

[ENDS]

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