[afro-nets] Universal HIV Testing in Lesotho

[Leela McCullough <leela@healthnet.org>]

Lesotho's Health Minister to Announce Plan for Universal HIV
Testing in Country
------------------------------------------------------------

01 Nov 2005
http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Lesotho's Health Minister Motloheloa Phooko said at a recent
press conference that he will try to implement universal HIV
testing in the country, adding that the government will soon "go
door to door" to test people for the virus, the
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/10/23/dire
_situation_drastic_measures/ Boston Globe reports.
http://www.who.int/en/ World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/hiv/en/ HIV/AIDS Programme Director Jim Yong
Kim late last month during a three-day visit to Lesotho per-
suaded Phooko to push for universal testing, and Phooko said he
will announce a detailed testing plan on Dec. 1 -- World AIDS
Day -- that he said will "make history." Kim told many groups
that universal testing might be as important as a "moderately
effective" HIV vaccine in preventing the spread of the virus. He
has been "scurrying" for support on a universal testing program
from U.N. department leaders, foreign ambassadors, charity work-
ers, physicians, nurses, HIV-positive people and Christian
health workers in the country, according to the Globe (Donnelly,
Boston Globe, 10/23).

Background, Challenges

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and Lesotho's Catholic
Archbishop Bernard Mohalisi in March 2004 both underwent a pub-
lic HIV test, and Mosisili urged other officials to get tested
to break down the stigma associated with the disease
(http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1
&DR_ID=22595  Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/10/04). However,
only 21,000 people -- about 1% of the country's population --
have been tested for HIV during the past year, according to the
Globe. Phooko said that if universal HIV testing were imple-
mented, "we need to follow that up and make sure everyone would
have access to treatment." Many of the country's physicians work
in South Africa, with only about 15 of the country's doctors
working in public hospitals and clinics in Lesotho. The number
of people taking antiretroviral drugs in Lesotho has increased
from 400 one year ago to 5,500 currently, the Globe reports.
About one in three adults in the country with a population of
nearly two million are living with HIV (Boston Globe, 10/23).

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--
Leela McCullough, Ed.D.
Director of Information Services
SATELLIFE
30 California Street, Watertown, MA 02472, USA
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