HIV prevalence in Mozambique dropped slightly to 12.4%but it remains among the highest rates in the world, according to the results of a new survey presented this Thursday by the National Institute of Health (INS).
There are about two million adults living with the human immunodeficiency virus in the country, that is, one in eight.
The last survey in Mozambique had been carried out in 2015 and at that time the prevalence was 13.2%.
The country of around 31 million people continues among the most affected in the world, comparing the prevalence announced this Thursday with data from other nations (data made available by the United Nations program for HIV/AIDS).
As in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique the prevalence is clearly higher among women (15%) than among men (9%).
The differences are “particularly notable between the ages of 15 and 29, the prevalence being two or three times higher among women,” says the INS.
“One in four women between the ages of 35 and 39 is infected”Stand out.
The survey also indicates that condom use “is still low”, especially among women: only 30.3% of women said they used condoms, 11.6% less than in 2015.
The percentage of men who said they used a condom increased from 8.8% to 48.2%.
“One in eight adults in Mozambique lives with HIVwhich represents a substantial challenge for the country’s health system,” says a summary of the survey.
“These results demonstrate the need for preventive measures to reduce the number of new infections,” the document adds.
The Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, highlighted this Thursday Also some achievements.
“Although the national HIV prevalence average remains high between 2015 and 2021, we would like to highlight the notable reduction in the provinces of Manica and Maputo”, with reductions of 40% to 50%.
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has set the 95-95-95 targets so that, by 2025, 95% of people with HIV know their viral status, 95% of all people diagnosed are receiving treatment continuously and 95% of these achieve viral load suppression.
Mozambique is at the 72-96-89 level of these objectivesrespectively, that is, three out of 10 still do not know their infection status and, despite the fact that treatment coverage is above 95%, viral load suppression has not yet exceeded 89%.
Inside 2021 was based on interviews and blood sampling of approximately 14,500 people across the country between April 2021 and February 2022 and the results have a 95% confidence interval.
The study was funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Columbia University, both of USA
Source: Observadora
