17th August 2023
Sello Motseta
In Botswana, an estimated 95.1% of adults (15-64 years) living with HIV were aware of their HIV status: 96.4% of females and 93.0% of males.
Individuals were classified as aware if they reported their HIV-positive status or had a detectable antiretroviral (ARV) in their blood it was revealed during the official launch of the fifth Botswana AIDS Impact Survey 2021 (BAIS V) Report Thursday.
The BAIS V report provides critical data on the primary outcomes of HIV incidence and VLS among adults at national levels in Botswana.
National AIDS and Health Promotions Agency(NAHPA) and Ministry of Health(MOH) encourages public health staff, programmers, epidemiologists, and policy makers to examine the BAIS V data for their respective program areas and utilize the data to inform program planning.
Acting President Slumber Tsogwane, said “That Botswana has managed to attain the 95 – 98 – 98 milestone before the set time of 2025, is a feat worth celebrating. We should do so without losing sight of the need to sustain the momentum and move up the ladder.”
He said, “More still needs to be done to maintain the gains that have been made in the fight against HIV. We have a duty and obligation to ensure that there are no new infections to the youth, especially among adolescent girls and young women.”
According to officials the annual incidence of HIV among adults aged 15-64 years in Botswana was 0.2%, which corresponds to approximately 2,200 new cases of HIV per year among adults. HIV incidence was 0.4% among females and 0.0% among males.
The Prevalence of HIV among adults in Botswana was 20.8%, which corresponds to approximately 329,000 adults living with HIV. HIV prevalence was 26.2% among females and 15.2% among males. The prevalence of HIV among children aged 0-14 years in Botswana was 0.8%, which corresponds to approximately 5,600 children living with HIV.
Among adults aged 15-64 years, HIV prevalence ranged from 2.7% for females aged 15-19 years to 52.0% for females aged 45-49 years, and from 1.6% for males aged 15-19 years to 39.0% for males aged 50-54 years. By 5-year age groups, HIV prevalence was higher among females than males in each age group from ages 20-24 years through 40-44 years.
Notwithstanding these results, officials believe Botswana is well positioned to maintain the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The country can ensure that all people benefit from these achievements by helping younger people achieve viral load suppression and focusing on finding the remaining few people living with HIV who are unaware of their status.
Of 11,478 eligible households, 87.7% completed a household interview as part of the exercise. Among the 19,914 eligible adults aged 15-64 years (11,095 females and 8,819 males), 74.1% were interviewed and tested for HIV (78.2% of females; 69.0% of males).
“Among adults living with HIV who were aware of their status, 98.0% were on ART: 98.4% of females and 97.2% of males. Individuals were classified as being on ART if they reported current ART use or had a detectable ARV in their blood,” said Dr Lillian Okui, UMB Country Representative and BUMMHI Research Director.
She said, “Having more than one lifetime sexual partner was associated with a higher prevalence of HIV, 23.1% (95% CI: 21.7%-24.6%), than having one lifetime partner, 13.7% (95% CI: 11.7%-15.7%).
Among those who reported sex before the age of 15 years, HIV prevalence was 23.0%: higher among females at 47.9% (95% CI: 37.0%-58.8%) than among males at 10.2% (95% CI: 2.9%-17.5%).
Viral Load Suppression(VLS) was higher among females than males at ages 25-34 years and 35-44 years. Among adults aged 15-64 years living with HIV, prevalence of VLS ranged from 85.3% in Gaborone to 100.0% in Selibe Phikwe.
The proportion of adults who reported having received an HIV test in the 12 months before the survey varied by age and sex. Overall, among adults aged 15-64 years, 34.1% reported that they had received an HIV test in the 12 months before the survey: 35.9% among females and 32.3% among males.
A low proportion of young people aged 15-24 years received an HIV test in 12 months before the survey. Young people were the largest proportion who tested positive that were unaware of their status.
