Creating awareness

Enzo Amuele This year’s World AIDS Day was celebrated in the Kunene Region at Outjo’s Etosha Port Sports field under the theme: ‘End inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics’.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), HIV has claimed the lives of over 36.3 million people worldwide and remains a major public health concern.Minister of health and social services Dr Kalumbi Shangula, in his keynote address, said the day is set aside to mobilise people across the world to focus attention on one of the most devastating pandemics to have faced humanity in the past 100 years.He added that it is a day to reflect on the successes regarding combatting the virus.“Today, HIV infection has become just another manageable chronic condition. This is largely due to advances in science which have produced effective therapies, greater adherence to treatment, and reduction in stigma and discrimination,” he said.Shangula added that the interventions by government - with the support of development co-operation partners - have made it possible to save thousands of lives and change the trajectory of HIV and AIDS in the country.“The government has invested and spent a significant amount of resources to combat the scorch of HIV-AIDS in the country. In the area of procurement of anti-retroviral medicine alone, the government spends an excess amount of N$200 million every year,” he said.Jessica Long, US Charge d’ Affaires to Namibia, commended the Namibian government on its efforts to curb the virus.“Namibia’s great strides in controlling the epidemic can be attributed to the effective systems and services put in place by the Namibian government and civil society with support from development partners such as the United States government,” she said. UNAIDS country director Alti Zwandor said the organisation has highlighted and issued a stern warning that if leaders fail to tackle inequalities, the world could face 7.7 million AIDS-related deaths over the next 10 years.

Creating awareness

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Republikein 2026-06-09

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Creating awareness

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