22 February 2008
Maputo — About 100,000 HIV-positive people in Mozambique are now receiving the life prolonging anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, through a variety of projects, many of them funded by the United States, in all 11 provinces, according to a report in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
Lisa Nelson, head of HIV/AIDS programmes with the US Centre for the Prevention and Control of Diseases in Mozambique, expressed satisfaction with Mozambique's "impressive" efforts to fight against the AIDS pandemic.
She said that this positive situation will improve even further in the coming few years, particularly if the Health Ministry and the National AIDS Council (CNCS) keep up the level of material commitment they have been showing so far.
Nelson told "Noticias" that "The United States is directly supporting about half of the units that offer ARVs through various partners operating in the provinces, in coordination with the Health Ministry. We are happy, because about 100,000 people are receiving the anti-retroviral treatment".
Established in Mozambique in 2000, the Centre has been directly supporting treatment with ARVs, initiatives for income generation for people with AIDS, prevention of HIV, and also the designing of strategies for the fight against HIV/AIDS.
It is estimated that there are currently 300,000 people in Mozambique who are now at the stage of HIV infection where anti-retroviral treatment is recommended. The hope is to cater for all of them in the near future, because Mozambique has enough drugs for that effect.
Among the obstacles to achieving this worthy goal is the awkward fact that most people infected with HIV are unaware that they are carrying the virus. The expansion of ARV therapy also requires expanding facilities in the health units and training more staff.
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