860,000 People Are On HIV Treatment Since Introduction Of Routine Testing

Health Minister, Dr Chitalu Chilufya says approximately 860,000 people were initiated on treatment as of December 2017 representing a 20 percent increase in the number of people testing for HIV and being put on treatment since the routine HIV counseling ,testing and treatment program was launched in 2017.

Dr Chilufya told Parliament that Zambia is estimated to have approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV and AIDS.

He says with 860,000 people put on treatment, this means that 340,000 people are living with the virus but do not know and therefore have to be tested and put on treatment.

Dr Chilufya says government has the capacity to provide anti retroviral therapy to all people living with HIV in the country.

The minister says it is anticipated that 160,000 more patients will be put on ART in the next one year.

And Dr Chilufya says measures have been put in place to avoid the re-occurrence of ARVs expiring.

Meanwhile the health minister says progress has been made to start administering the new HIV drug called Dolutegravir which is more powerful than the current ARVs being administered.

Dr. Chilufya says the first consignment of the new drug that can suppress the HIV viral load within two weeks has already arrived in the country.

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