16 per cent of PLHIV in Senegal do not know their HIV status, CNLS
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Sixteen per cent of people living with HIV/AIDS in Senegal do not know their HIV status, the executive secretary of the National AIDS Council (CNLS), Dr. Safiatou Thiam revealed here Wednesday.
"Sixteen per cent of people living with HIV do not know their HIV status because they have not been tested. We need to work, to put in place strategies to screen them and allow them to know their status," she told the Senegalese news agency on the eve of the celebration of World AIDS Day on Wednesday.
This year, the day, celebrated on 1 December, is centred on the theme: "Ending inequalities. Ending AIDS. Put an end to pandemics".
For Senegal, 84 per cent of people living with HIV are tested and know their serological status; among them, 89 per cent take their medication and 74 per cent no longer transmit HIV," said Dr. Thiam.
According to her, in order to reach the target of three out of 90, all those tested must be put on treatment, with a follow-up on the regular intake of medication.
"This is where Senegal's big challenge lies because we need resources and 80 per cent of our resources are financed by the outside world and 20 per cent by the government," she said.
The three 90s target is to ensure that by the end of the decade, 90pc of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90pc of all HIV-infected people tested receive sustained antiretroviral treatment, 90 per cent of people receiving antiretroviral treatment have a sustained viral load reduction.
These targets have been set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for countries wishing to make progress in HIV prevention, care and treatment.
Dr. Thiam said that among children, 84 per cent of people living with HIV have been tested. AIDS is on the decline in Senegal, new infections are falling and access to treatment is highly developed.
"The situation is characterized by a low epidemic with 0.03 per cent of the general population," she said.
However, she said that the prevalence rate remains very high in certain high-risk groups and in the South and South-East regions.
-0- PANA AMN/ASG/MD/JSG/SOC/BBA/RA 1Dec2021
