4.7million Malawians tested and know their HIV/Aids status -official

Over 4.7 million Malawians have been tested and know their HIV/Aids status and that one million are living with virus while 250,000 are accessing ARVs – the life prolonging drugs – Secretary for Nutrition, HIV/AIDS Dr Mary Shaba has said.

The official pointed out that the country is doing very well in the fight against the scourge and moving steadily.

Shaba said the transmission rate has been declining, disclosing that Malawi with a population of 13 million, has lost about a million people since Aids was first reported in 1985, leaving more than one million orphans. But Shaba said the death rate is now declining.

“In 2004 every hour 10 Malawians were dying of HIV. That figure has gone down by 80 percent to 1.5 to two people dying per hour. I think that figure alone speaks that we have moved,” said Shaba.

She was speaking on Capital Radio’s Straight Talk programme on Tuesday evening.

“In 2003/ 2004 around that period, the prevelance rate of the age group of 15-19 pregnant women, it was around 15 percent, we are now talking 12.3 percent which means even the new infections are going down and that is very good progress,” she said.

“We only had 4,500 on ARVs in Malawi. We are now saying over 250,000 people have ever been started on ARVs. 64 percent are still alive. I don’t think that is a mean achievement. That is a very big achievement,” said the Secretary for Nutrition, HIV/AIDS in the Office of President and Cabinet.

She also said there is progress in the HIV prevention on mothers to child.

“We had a very small programme on prevention on mothers to child transmission to HIV. That particular transmission, 35 percent of pregnant women were transmitting the virus to their babies. This time we have started the prevention of transmission of mother to child of HIV.

“That programme has reached operational in over 500 facilities where antenatal clinics are done.”

Shaba further said: “Apart from that, 76 to 80 percent who have been found positive have been referred to the right treatment. And in under study conditions, the transmission rate has been reduced to 2 percent and the modality rate of the matter has been reduced from 1 percent to 0.03 percent. If you look at these figures, we are doing very well.”

“Of course the behavior change studies indicate that among the young people, abstinence has increased from 39 to 48 percent among boys and 41 to 48 percent among girls,” she said.

Shaba said Malawi follows “ABC”; Abstinence, Be faithful to one partner [One love] and use Condoms.

But Shaba said condoms are for “Nkhutukumve.”

She said the bulk of the money Malawi get from donors goes for purchase of ARVs.

“Over K3 billion has been spent to purchase ARVs including testing kits,” she disclosed.

Asked by programme host, Brian Banda if she and other officials have any worry that they will be out of job if Aids medication is identified, Shaba who is a graduate of Kings College in the University of London said there is always something to do as a professional.

“When HIV was at its peak in 2004, coffin workshops were making a lot of money because people were dying. This time coffin people their businesses have gone down. They have come to say ‘madam you are working too hard our business has gone down’.

“I have told them. You are a person with tools, choose another type of business. Make chairs for people to sit on,” said Shaba.

She maintained that greater access to free medicine has helped to reduce the number of people dying from HIV related illnesses.

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