Staff Reporter
ON Friday, Namibia joined the international community to commemorate World AIDS Day, reflecting on the progress made in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Namibia and worldwide.
The national commemorative event took place at Rundu in the Kavango East Region, where Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula was the keynote speaker.
“Today, we remember and pay homage to our fellow citizens who have succumbed to the disease over the years. We honour the thousands of health workers who have provided care to those who were sick. We recall the invaluable contributions and support from our development cooperation partners, which complemented our efforts to break the backbone of what was, at some point, a fear-inducing and spine-chilling disease. With all these efforts, we now stand at the cusp of ending AIDS as a public health threat by the year 2030,” said Shangula.
He explained that while World AIDS Day 2024 falls on a Sunday, it was decided to commemorate the day on a working day, with December 13 chosen as the most appropriate date.
Shangula said that Namibia has made great progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and that the government remains committed to ensuring all Namibian citizens, in every part of the country, have access to the full range of HIV services provided by the government free of charge.
“Our programs and interventions have worked and are working well,” he said. “We will continue to strengthen and expand them, deploying new innovations and scientifically proven, data-driven measures that have brought us to where we are today. This means the national HIV/AIDS response remains a priority of the Namibian Government as we strive to eliminate new infections and improve the lives of people living with HIV.”
The minister emphasized that in 2023, Namibia placed special focus on “prioritizing mental wellness,” aiming to integrate mental health care into overall health services, including HIV/AIDS interventions.
“Anyone can encounter mental health challenges at some point. Studies have shown that people living with HIV are twice as likely to experience mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and harmful use of substances. This affects individuals’ ability to seek care or adhere to treatment,” said Shangula.
The Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 highlights the integration of mental health and psychosocial support within HIV services as a key priority. This approach promotes holistic care, addressing both mental and physical health needs, reducing stigma, and improving treatment adherence for people living with HIV.
“We must continue to talk about these matters to create awareness and reduce stigma,” Shangula added.
In 2023, approximately 230,000 people were living with HIV in Namibia, with the majority (65%) being women. Statistics show an HIV prevalence rate of 9.7% among adults aged 15–49 years, with prevalence higher among women (12.7%) compared to men (6.6%).
Shangula highlighted the impact of the ministry’s interventions, noting:
- 93% of people living with HIV in Namibia have been tested and know their status.
- 95% of those who know their status have been initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ARVs), provided free of charge by the government.
- Of those on ARVs, 98% are virally suppressed.
“These figures are significantly higher than the global statistics of 86–89–93, according to UNAIDS in 2023. This places Namibia on a trajectory to end AIDS as a public health threat. Namibia has also won an international award for being on track to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV,” Shangula said.
As part of the commemoration, the minister launched key documents to strengthen the HIV and TB response:
- The 4th Edition of the Drug-Resistant TB Pocket Guidelines,
- Mine Health and Safety Standard Operating Procedures,
- The Mental Health Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in HIV and TB Care,
- The Community Mental Health Toolkit, and
- The Sustainability Road Map for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The event also included the handover of 13 ten-colour GeneXpert machines to the Namibia Institute of Pathology.
These machines, purchased with support from the Global Fund, will be distributed to 13 of Namibia’s 14 regions, with Khomas excluded due to sufficient existing diagnostic capacity. Shangula said that the machines would increase the capacity for TB drug-resistance testing by decentralizing the process, which was previously only conducted in Windhoek.
“This is a welcome development as Namibia also aims to eliminate TB as a public health threat by 2030,” said Shangula.
Photos: Namibia Institute of Pathology