The United States Government announced on Monday that through support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), four African countries were approaching control of their HIV epidemics. The four countries are Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
The United States is the largest bilateral donor to the global HIV/AIDS response, and through PEPFAR, it continues to invest in over 50 countries.
Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are among the 13 highest-burden countries that have the greatest potential to control their epidemics by 2020 through the UNAIDS 90-90-90 framework and expansion of HIV prevention.
“Groundbreaking new PEPFAR data show that the HIV epidemic is coming under control across all age groups in Swaziland, the country with the highest HIV prevalence in the world. Additional PEPFAR-supported studies released in December 2016 for Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe also demonstrate significant progress toward controlling the HIV epidemics in these countries,” the U.S. Department of State said.
“Today’s findings demonstrate the remarkable impact of the U.S. government’s efforts, through PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, in close collaboration with African countries and other partners”.
The government said in Swaziland, new HIV infections has been nearly halved among adults, and HIV viral load suppression – a key marker of the body successfully controlling the virus – has doubled since 2011.
“These data suggest that Swaziland has met the global target for community viral load suppression among HIV-positive adults four years ahead of schedule”.