. LUNGU

FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has said Zambia has seen an increase in the number of women on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) from 26 in 2002 to more than 400,000 in 2016.
Ms Lungu said this was due to Government’s investment in the health sector, which she said had seen a reduction of the HIV prevalence rate from 19 per cent in 2003 to 11.6 to date.
Highlighting the successes made in Zambia in relation to the fight against HIV and AIDS during the Organisation for African First Ladies (OAFLA) 15th Ordinary Session, Ms Lungu said 700 adults and 51 children were put on ART in 2016.
Ms Lungu said more than three million people accessed HIV testing services against a target of 3,630 which was set for the period 2014-2016,representing an estimated coverage of 63.2 percent.
And focusing on the theme, ‘Building on 15 years of engagement to harness the demographic dividends of Africa through promoting the needs of adolescents and their access to youth friendly services,’ Ms
Lungu said that comprehensive sexuality education was making a direct impact on ensuring that adolescents were not infected with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) especially HIV and AIDS.
Ms Lungu noted that Zambia was undertaking steps towards youth friendly health services to communities through an integrated approach involving Government line ministries and other stakeholders such as donors and civil Society Organizations (CSO).
“Community housing trained peer educators where adolescents can go without stigma of being seen at a health facility have become a successful model. We have also invested in disseminating national
guidelines that integrated HIV and AIDS, Voluntary Counselling and Testing and Sexual Reproductive health.
“We have also invested in training both in and out-of-school youths, peer education and family planning product distributors. This initiative has not only provided a service but also created employment for the youth,” she said.—ZANIS