Target Men to Reach Our HIV Goals

By Webster MavhuHARARE, Mar 5 2020 (IPS) Women are the face of HIV in Africa, yet four of every 10 persons living with HIV in East and Southern Africa are men. Despite higher rates of HIV infection among women, more men living with HIV are dying. Men are often left behind by programs that aim to reduce HIV rates as well as those providing HIV treatment. Global HIV targets are that by December 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their status, 90% of those HIV positive are on treatment and, 90% of those on treatment have reduced replication of the virus in their body. Some African countries are on track to achieve these targets because programs for women are doing so well. Unfortunately, men in many settings are far from achieving these targets. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) report shows that globally, less than half of men living with HIV are on treatment, compared to 60% of women. Data from 30 African countries also show that, across all age groups except 45-49 years, men are much less likely than women to have ever taken an HIV test. In response to HIV testing and treatment gaps between men and women, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief emphasizes the need for an acceleration of strategies to reach men under 35 years. Webster Mavhu. Credit: Natasha Sweeney. For more than a decade, I have been researching why men in sub-Saharan Africa do not take up HIV services even though they are aware that they need to take the...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Headlines Health HIV/AIDS Source Type: news