Botswana 'tackling HIV more effectively than US'
Botswana is tackling HIV significantly more effectively than the US, according to a new report.
Data from the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership shows that the country has much higher rates of HIV diagnosis, treatment and suppression than the majority of Western countries, highlighting the effectiveness of global programmes aimed at tackling the spread of the life-threatening disease.
This discovery was made following tests involving 12,610 individuals, of whom 29 per cent were HIV positive. Some 83.3 per cent were already aware of their status, with 87.4 per cent receiving drugs to control their condition - higher rates than the US.
What's more, it was found that 96.5 per cent of these patients had viral suppression, showing that the drugs are working.
In light of this, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is on track to meet its 90-90-90 target by 2020 in Botswana. This is a goal to ensure that 90 per cent of patients are diagnosed, receiving treatment and experiencing viral suppression over the next five years.