‘COP 28, Africa’s deliverance to wait Climate Finance’

 

‘COP 28, Africa’s deliverance to wait Climate Finance’

 

By Daily News Reporter

Africa’s turn around in economic and environmental degradation spurred by climate change lies in the provision of finance to help countries mitigate and adapt and the ongoing Conference of Parties is the last straw in the impasse, Zambia’s minister of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu says.

Zambia, in its capacity as Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change at the on-going 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, envisages the COP underway will deliver the continent out of the debris.

Eng. Nzovu reaffirmed Africa’s calls for robust mobilisation of climate finance notes that while African countries remain optimistic of reversing the damages to economies and the environment affected by the crisis, remains hopeful that the continent’s outcry to secure fund to mitigate and adapt will be heard and concluded before the close of the annual global meeting.

“There is no ambition without climate finance, and we cannot implement our action if there is no finance,” Nzovu told delegates while looking up to cooperating partners and major polluters to honour their belated and unfulfilled US$100 billion since COP 15.

“Mr. President [of COP28], we welcome your efforts in mobilising climate finance. You have shown us that if there is a commitment, climate finance will be mobilised, and we have this time, the pledges made will be delivered, not as in the previous COP.”

Africa’s expectations of key outcomes of the ongoing indaba are massive given the delays in action but of paramount need is the delayed support towards adaptation to the impact of climate change.

“Africa’s position is that there is no successful outcome without a detailed outcome on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). This is a mandate equally important as Global Stocktake (GST).

" We reiterate that adaptation is a key priority for the continent and a critical component in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, the launching of the GGA framework is one of the most important outcomes for Africa at COP28,”

said.

“At the heart of the framework is the development of qualitative and quantitative dimensional and thematic targets that are measurable and time-bound to help us achieve the objective of the GGA.”

He said with regards the Global Stocktake (GST), the objective of the Paris Agreement in Article 2.1 places emphasis on the pursuit of enhancing climate action in the context of sustainable development and eradication of poverty.

He, therefore, said the GST outcome must be guided by the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement.

“On the just transitions pathways: we are of the view this work programme will advance the implementation of climate action and strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development.

"COP28 should agree on the work programme's scope and modalities mandating the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) to carry out the work, and the Conference of Parties Serving as Meetings of Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) reach the annual decision to guide the work programme.”

Africa envisions that the Ministers only address political issues and provide space for the technical negotiations.

Minister Nzovu reiterates Africa quest that the COP28 President ensures that the technical negotiation, Head of Delegation level and Ministerial level on the same issues should not be held in parallel.

“Africa pledges our support to you [COP28 President] again to make this COP, a historic one that will be remembered for delivering for the people and our countries,” said Nzovu. Recent studies by climate change campaigners shows greater need for sustained funding.

To adapt, reports show that African countries need to raise an annual average of $124 billion. Currently the continent receives a paltry $28 billion a year, far below the needs to mitigate and adapt effectives.

While Africa is responsible for only about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions, it is being hardest hit by climate change with little or no recourse to replenishment or compensation by polluters including United States, India, Japan among others.

 

HOW IMPORTANT PHARMACEUTICAL IN HOSPITALS

 HOW IMPORTANT PHARMACEUTICAL IN HOSPITALS

By Daily News Reporter

 

The importance of a pharmaceutical care plan in hospitals

Medicines if appropriately used provide relief to patients and if not used accordingly risk an individual’s health. The latter increases therapy related expenditures incurred by both the patient and the government. There are a number of measures that have been put in place in order to curb practices that lead to irrational use of medicines. One of them is the use of the Pharmaceutical Care Plan (PCP) in hospital settings.

The PCP is a patient- centered systemic approach designed in a written format by a pharmacist. When creating the PCP, the pharmacist collects certain information from the patient such as age, sex, height, past illnesses, medication history and present medication, any drug allergy, lifestyle among others. The pharmacist then moves on to assess the actual problem by taking note of the patient’s chief complaint in collaboration with vital signs such as blood pressure and lab results. Drug related problems are then identified and the pharmacist develops definite therapeutic goals which may include curing a specific disease, reducing the symptoms, slow disease progression or prevent a particular disease or symptoms.

The PCP ensures appropriate use of medicines. To achieve this, the pharmacist suggests interventions such as initiating new drug, discontinuing drug, increasing or decreasing the dosage regimen or entirely changing the drug or formulation. It also prevents costly or toxic therapies from taking place whilst paying particular attention to achieving the desired outcome. It also helps strengthen collaboration and exchange of data between different healthcare providers.

The PCP decreases the number of potential drug related problems that tend to be the leading cause of both mortality and morbidity. These include untreated indication, under-dose or overdose, failure to receive medication at the right time and adverse effects. It also helps the pharmacist to be on the look-out for any undesired drug interactions which include drug-drug, drug-food and drug-disease interactions. An example of a drug-drug interaction is between sildenafil commonly known as blue diamond used in erectile dysfunction and isorsobide mononitrate which is used in the management of angina. Sildenafil significantly increases the blood-pressure lowering effects of isosorbide mononitrate and this may lead to fatal hypotension especially in cardiac patients. An example of a drug-disease interaction is the use Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) which is a common drug used in the management of HIV/AIDS. TDF is known to have harmful effects on the kidney tubules especially in patients with established Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The resultant effect may be progression of disease to kidney failure. An example of drug-food interaction is how the absorption of ciprofloxacin which is a broad spectrum antibiotic used in management of most infections in our region is significantly reduced with concomitant ingestion of milk or other dairy products like yogurt.

In a nutshell, the importance of generating a pharmaceutical care plan in hospital settings cannot be overemphasised. This is because it shows the relationship between achieving the goals of therapy in a patient and the kind of pharmaceutical interventions that have been made or need to be made to achieve those goals.

Plastic Pollution: Africa can reverse climate change if it’s being funded

 Plastic Pollution:

 

Africa can reverse climate change if it’s being funded

 

By Daily News Reporter

 

Africa’s fight against the use of single-plastics, causing a recurring environmental degradation-involving various players-Governments, producers interest groups alike, might veer off course unless there an urgent call to action is initiated without further delay at the height of climate change.

Undeniably, the United Nations through its Environmental Assembly has stepped up efforts to remedy the scourge caused by plastics as adduced by its earlier meeting last year in Nairobi where it sought to devise a regulation to address every aspect of plastic pollution.

The ultimate goal when formulation the regulation is premised on the effective utilization of a science-based policy when drafting this agreement that would envelope at plastic pollution related matters.

These would require put restrictions in the usage of plastics that are chocking oceans, landfills and rivers-a deceptive way of aiding climate change which can be avoided with political will from the continent’s leadership.

Although an estimated 30 African countries, Kenya, Rwanda, among others, have stepped up and banned single-use plastic bags, there is less remedy done.

There is undying need for effectiveness of policies on plastic production, use and waste management needs to be improved by all countries, Zambia included as capacity and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of these solutions are still nascent or in existence.

Various independent assessments undertaken by interest groups show a gloomy picture of the future of the world and Africa in particular if no action is taken now.

Unless there is concerted actions taken, like yesterday to reverse plastic pollution, more plastics will fill oceans than fish by 2050 is political will by Governments on the continent is not turned into policy formulations.

In West Africa, plastic pollution has reached its crescendo. Five years ago, 17 coastal countries had generated 6.9 million tons of plastic waste, with Nigeria alone accounting for 4.7 million tons per year.

Of this, 20% was produced within 30 km of the coast, with most of it ending up in the ocean.

The numbers are now rising despite the interventions by the West African Coastal Areas Management Porogramme (WACA) securing $563 million funding from the World Bank and its partners to determine the impacts of plastic pollution.

The problem was similar in Senegal which sought to fend off and manage the end-of-life Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in Senegal, and an e-book with resources to help people create their own rationale for mobilizing action.

“These bags are some of the five million plastic bags that Dakar inhabitants use every day before discarding them in the streets”.

Wearing his bizarre outfit made of plastic waste collected from the streets, Modou Fall, also known as Mr. Plastic, has been building awareness on plastic pollution for years,” a report reads.

The cost of the damage caused by marine plastic pollution in West Africa is estimated at around $10,000 to $ 33,000 per ton of plastic waste.

Sectors particularly hard hit by the plastic pollution are fisheries and aquaculture, marine-linked tourism, waterfront property values, and biodiversity and ecosystems.

Out of 17 coastal areas, eight of them are among the top 20 with the least effective plastic waste management practices – up from five in 2015. This has worsened marine pollution and adversely affected activities in the region.

Coastal provinces account for about 56% of West Africa’s GDP and one-third of the population lives there. In 2018 the regional member states opted to form the WACA, hoping to protect and restore the ecological, social and economic assets of coastal areas, though trouble still brews.

Hypothetically, the WACA was tasked to address coastal erosion, flooding and pollution and funding has consistently been provided.

The World Bank’s total financing of the project has hit US$492 million but hazards still lie on the road and more action is needed.

Kenya made similar attempts at resolving the plastic use and banned the single-use plastic bags in 2017 to reduce plastic pollution, but a lack of similar rules in neighboring countries resulted in plastic bags piling up in Kenya.

Plastic bags continue to pollute Kenya through porous borders which give way to the smuggling of the bags in shipments of plastic materials exempt from the ban, like packaging products.

The sustained influx of plastics has affected people and livestock, recording some fatality in goats affected with swollen stomachs and fatal health issues caused by the ingestion of plastic bags.

Rwanda, remains one of the continent’s case study since it slapped a blanket ban in 2008. This groundbreaking decision made Rwanda, one of the first countries in the world to take such a bold and comprehensive action is the remedy premised on four key prime parameters.

These standards are apparently being observed by both the Government and the citizens to stop pollution of the agricultural soil, clogging wetlands, and harming wildlife.

The law in Rwanda, expanded in 2019 covers production, importation, sale, and use of these plastics. The ban was expanded in 2019 through a law forbidding the use and sale of single-use plastic like bottles, straws, plates, and forks.

Rwanda’s success has been based on four things:

Political will: These laws reflect the government’s commitment to improving Rwanda’s environment and the well-being of its people. And while there is a lot left to accomplish, ongoing implementation assures steady progress.

Empowering Communities and Raising Awareness:

The law has made everyone responsible for their action and the need to protect environment and advises on the health consequences of plastic pollution, making mindset change and compel people to take ownership through communities.

Innovations in alternatives and infrastructure:

The ban stimulates the development and adoption of alternative materials, paper, bamboo, and cloth, all eco-friendly and biodegradable, including those made of.

The country now transforms plastic waste into a valuable product, including fabrics and building materials. Rwanda has invested heavily in recycling and waste management too.

The private sector and Government have joined and created eight recycling facilities to ensure the proper collection, sorting, and processing of plastic waste.

By embracing circular economy models, Rwanda is transforming plastic waste into a valuable resource, used to create fabrics, building materials, hexagonal roadblocks, and other products.

Regional and global collaboration Rwanda has collaborated widely to end plastics pollution as evidenced in Rwanda and other parts of East Africa.

Kenya followed Rwanda's lead and implemented its own tough ban on plastic bags in 2017. Tanzania and Uganda have also initiated measures to curb plastic pollution.

In 2014, in Ghana with the use plastic water containers, the predicted child mortality rate fell by 42 % . Kirène is now expanding its recycling activities with partners such as Recuplast.

In 2022, Rwanda and Peru co-sponsored a resolution that was adopted by the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly. It paves the way for the creation of a binding international agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution.

In Most Least Developed Countries, Bangladesh, India, Guatemalla, among others, there are various initatives underway to eradicating plastic pollution. Presently over 100 countries are moving towards banning plastic bags including taxes or other restrictions.

However various players including the Worldwide for Fund for nature (WWF) have extended their helping hands in fighting plastic pollution at various levels, according its report. It estimates low-income countries, despite consuming less plastic, incur a total lifetime plastic cost that is 10 times higher than wealthier countries.

• The structural inequities built into the current plastics value chain not only distribute the burdens of plastic pollution unequally among countries, the burdens are also disproportionately borne by those least equipped to remedy them, thereby worsening the crisis.

• All governments should agree on a treaty with harmonized, binding global rules that can remove inequities reinforced and exacerbated through our current take, make, and waste plastics system.

WWF-commissioned report developed by Dalberg1 warns that the true cost of plastic on the environment, health and economies can be as much as 10 times higher for low-income countries, even though they consume almost three times less plastic per-capita, than high-income ones.

The report estimates that the total lifetime costs of a kilogram of plastic is around US$150 in low- and middle-income countries, which is eight times the US$19/kilogram incurred by high-income countries2. When comparing just low-income countries and their wealthier counterparts, the cost differential rises to 10 times with low-income countries hit with costs of US$200 a kilogram.

These unequal costs have substantial implications for low- and middle-income countries like Kenya, where negotiators will converge from 13-19 November for the third negotiations of the global treaty to end plastic pollution.

Six years ago, Kenya took a bold step against plastic pollution by banning single-use plastic bags.

Today, the country continues to struggle with illegal imports of single-use plastic bags, highlighting the problem’s Trans Boundary nature and the crippling inequities inherent in the current plastics value chain that put countries like Kenya at a disadvantage no matter what bold action they take.

“Our take, make, waste plastics system is designed in a way that unfairly impacts our planet’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged countries. Instead of resolving the world’s plastic pollution crisis in the most efficient way, the system shifts the bulk of the costs to those least equipped to manage them, with no accountability placed on those who produce and use the products in the first place,” said Alice Ruhweza, WWF International’s Senior Director of Policy, Influence and Engagement.

Overall, low and middle-income countries now bear a disproportionately large burden of the costs associated with plastic pollution as a direct result of three structural inequities that reinforce the current plastics system:

Inequities: The system places low- and middle-income countries at a disadvantage in that they have minimal influence on which plastic products are produced and how they are designed and yet are often expected to manage these products once they reach their end-of-life.

Product and system design considerations are typically made further upstream in countries with extensive plastic production and by multinational companies headquartered in high-income countries. Four years ago, only 9% of plastic waste is being recycled.

Currently, around 60% of global plastic production is for single-use products, which are designed to be (and so cheaply valued that they can be) thrown away after just one use.

Inequity:

The rate of plastic production, particularly for single-use plastic, is far outpacing the availability of technical and financial resources for waste management when it reaches its end-of-life in low- and middle-income countries.

Without reducing plastic production and consumption, low- and middle-income countries will continue to bear the highest burden of plastic pollution’s direct environmental and socio-economic impacts.

Inequity is that the system lacks a fair way for holding countries and companies to account for their action, or inaction, on plastic pollution and its impact on our health, environment and economy including mandatory extended producer responsibility schemes in each of the countries they operate in.

With no common obligations across all jurisdictions and companies for supporting a circular, just and non-toxic plastics economy, low- and middle-income countries end up paying the steeper price.

Remedy:

Establishing and implementing a UN global plastic pollution treaty based on harmonized and binding global rules can help us create a fairer system that empowers low- and middle-income countries and prioritizes the most effective and efficient solutions.

Countries should embrace the private sector-producers of plastics a introduce law regulating the most high-risk plastic products, polymers and chemicals - those that can cause the most harm or are most likely to cause pollution to lessen the strain on countries with fewer resources, in managing plastic waste.

Create a global product design rules to ensure that products are designed to be reused and/or recycled regardless of which country they are produced or used in.

When all is said and done, one hurdle lingers: What is the true cost of pollution? A WWF report dubbed: “Who Pays for Plastic Pollution? Enabling Global Equity in the Plastic Value Chain” it’s difficult to quantify, convincingly.

“While many of the costs cannot be quantified, reflecting the gaps in available data and understanding of the full impact of plastic pollution, it does include quantifiable costs such as the cost of producing virgin plastic, greenhouse gas emission costs, costs on ecosystem services of marine ecosystems and direct waste management costs.” It reads

Though presented as ‘monetary costs’ of one kilo of plastic, it’s important to note that countries do not actually pay these costs, the costs are used as an indication of the disproportionate burdens plastic poses on countries with different national incomes.

The total lifetime cost for one kilogram block of plastic waste in a high-income country for example, is US$19, compared to eight times that for middle and lower-income countries at an average of US$150, and 10 times that for lower-income countries, at US$200.

Farmers, however are victims of the plastic pollution through land and animal grazing when there is environmental degradation especially countries that rely on livestock for their livelihood.

“Our land and cattle are our only wealth. When plastic is burnt in our fields, no plant can grow, and no seed can germinate. Our cows, goats, and sheep consume the plastic that is everywhere in the landscape and are killed.” Kaolack, Senegal, Ndiouck Mbaye, President of the Senegalese Rural Women’s Association expresses her concern.”

Breton Woods’s institution-The World Bank remains supporting throughout Africa to undertaken various assistance at every stage of the plastic lifecycle and support countries with projects worth over $2.5 billion focusing on plastic pollution management and prevention.

It also provides expertise, encourages private investments, and builds the capacity of regional institutions to bring cross-border solutions.

Global production of plastics is estimated around 430 million metric tons per annum and is rising, a call for recycling, though inadequate.

How Plastic pollution can end in Africa:

The COP 28 is here once again where African people sit in various negotiation meetings on various climate change related discussions as the continent grapples with Loss and Damage Losses.

Invest in Neglected Tropical Diseases to improve nutrition -Masebo

 Invest in Neglected Tropical Diseases to improve nutrition -Masebo

 

By Daily News Reporter

 

Africa should hasten efforts to mobilising its own resources to eradicate leprosy, hookworms among other forms of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2030 as espoused under the Continental Framework, notes Zambia’s health minister Sylvia Masebo.

Africa is fraught with recurring cases of leprosy, guinea worms, snake bites, stuntedness, overarching malnutrition, underweight in children, among other tropical diseases which remain unresolved because of overly relying on cooperating partners to finance.

The habit, perpetuated over the years and forces countries to effectively forced to implement programme under duress by financiers has in turn escalated the burden and may force the member states' to veer off course in attaining the time frame set in the framework, aligned to the African Vision 2063.

Various players across Africa, including donor agencies have effective Wednesday, converged in Lusaka for a three-day-meeting ‘on mobilising domestic resources and strengthening programs to combat neglected tropical diseases’ themed: “Leveraging on Neglected Tropical Diseases Programmes to Improve the Nutritional Status of Affected Communities”.

Minister Masebo, in a speech read by Permanent Secretary, George Sinyangwe notes that the call for mopping own resources for NTDs was fight as it was a noble cause for the majority people living in tropical and subtropical regions and the poor who have no or limited health care and safe water and sanitation.

The ‘own resources’ will bring independence to countries and will enable Africa make independent decisions, domesticate such programmes and ultimately free Africa of all tropical ailments by 2030 as espoused by the World Health Organisation-the driver of the remedy.

“Concerted action and sustainable financing for NTDs is needed to ensure we have sufficient resources to achieve the targets in the WHO 2030 NTD road map. “Minister Masebo told delegates while emphasising on the call for unity of purpose.

“That is why, together and united, we will make the case for investment, and push for concerted action and financing of NTDs.”

Arguably, while some NTDs were endemic and others not life threatening, it has forced many of the affected citizenry habituating in tropical and sub-tropical regions to remain at various risks and without health care services safe water and sanitation facilities.

Mothers and children, too are even the most risky as they are vulnerable to infections from worms, anaemia and other complications as the diseases progress.

Some children, the minister argued are forced to drop out of school to take care of their parents who are disabled by NTDs.

This often results in little or no education for these children, a situation perpetuating the cycle of poverty for families which affects nutrition which needs attention as demanded under the framework.

There is need to work towards improving the nutritional status alongside the implementation of NTD prevention interventions and treatment if elimination, control and eradication goals are to be achieved by needs various ingredients to ensure nutrition is achieved.

“Without adequate calories and nutrients to repair damaged tissues or recover lost growth and development, the benefits of treatment may not be evident quickly and the effects of control programs may not be appreciated by beneficiaries, while vulnerability to reinfection and disease may not be reduced.”

Minister Masebo, while admitting Zambia was equally affected noted some of the mitigation efforts undertaken, arguably to be integrated into NTD control and elimination programs including MDAs and behavioral change activities.

Zambia remains endemic to 8 NTDs and more than 13 million out of a population of 19 million remain at risk of being infected by one or more of the endemic NTDs.

The Government has strengthen its resolve in implementation of NTD elimination, control and eradication programmes by investing in the Development of the NTD Masterplan aligned to the World Health Organization Road Map 2030 on eliminating NTDs.

Its conducting MDAs under the LF (Lymphatic Filariasis) and Trachoma programs to stop transmission, leading Zambia on the path to eliminating NTDs such as Trachoma and LF.

The ministry of health has undertaken an impact and coverage surveys after the MDAs and conducted Pre - Transmission Assessment Survey and Transmission Assessment survey for LF in 80 districts across the country and planned to further conduct these activities in the remaining 16 districts.

Arguably, there’s is an element is mitigation as of the 57 districts initially found to be endemic for trachoma only 7 are remaining to be certified free of active trachoma as per WHO set standards hence the call for reliable and ‘home grown funds’ to achieve the targets in the WHO 2030 NTD road map.

And African Union NTD Lead Specialist Sheila Tamara Shawa, while commending the political will among member states in fighting NTDs, urged leaders to commit and actualize budgetary allocations towards NTDs as a show of goodwill in resolving the preventable ailments.

NTDs are a diverse group of diseases and conditions prevalent mainly in Africa, Asia and the Americas and affect more than 1 billion people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently lists 202 disease groups as neglected tropical diseases.

Most of these diseases, a mixture of parasitic, bacterial, fungal, viral and non-communicable diseases endemic in 49 countries on the continent and affect over 600 million individuals, representing 42% of the global burden of NTDs.

Africa is hardest hit and bears about the half the global burden of NTDs. Almost 90% of the global Schistosomiasis and Onchocerciasis cases are found in Africa.

Socioeconomic factors such as poverty, heightened exposure to vectors, unsafe food and water, reservoir hosts and climate and other poor conditions exacerbate the spread of NTDs.

Out of the total global number of deaths recorded in recent years, 206, 155 resulted from NTDs, of which 67 860 (32.9%) occurred in Africa.

Approximately 200,000 deaths and 19 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually, NTDs cost developing communities the equivalent of billions of United States dollars each year in direct health costs, according to the United Nations estimate, according to UN data.

 

 

Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Part I

 Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Part I

 

By Daily News Reporter

 

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a viral infection that attacks the immune system and causes AIDS in a human being. Primary HIV is a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), transmitted by heterosexual meaning through sexual intercourse. Some researches indicate that HIV can also be transmitted through homosexual practices that may include anal and oral sex.

HIV/AIDS is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. However, governments and stakeholders globally are committed to stopping new infections and ensuring that every person living with HIV has access to treatment. The cases of HIV came to be known in the early 1980s and many people got the disease and by the 1990s up to 2000s it claimed many lives of people, particularly in Zambian.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) report says the Zambian government introduced free Antiretrovirals (ARVs) drugs in June 2005, and that emancipated many lives of people. In 2020 some reports were that approximately 37.7 million people across the world were living with HIV, out of these, 36 million were adults and 1.7 million were children aged 0-14 years. More than half (53 per cent) were women and girls.

However, the good fascinating thing today is that a person living with HIV and is on ARV treatment (adhering to all clinical instructions) cannot transmit the virus to the sexual partner who is negative.

This was discovered a few years ago and it is in the line dubbed, U=U, meaning Undetectable = Transmittable. The U=U is a concept which observes that if a person living with HIV is on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and taking it consistently and correctly, the viral load gets suppressed; as such could be detected on the machine once a sample of the blood is taken. And that could enable the victim to lead healthier life and reduces a chance of passing the virus to a sexual partner.

Senior health promotions officer in the Ministry of Health Mr Wilson Kapenda says over a couple of years many researches have been done and discovered that a person living with HIV who is on ART and adhered to it manages to suppress the virus, hence stands a chance of not transmitting the virus to his/her sexual partner.

‘’Undetectable Equals Untransmittable U=U is a global movement about how effective treatment as prevention can be, if scaled up widely. There is effectively NO risk of sexual transmission of HIV when the partner living with HIV has a durably undetectable viral load,’’ he said. Undetectable viral load is a VL<20copies/ml, therefore in that status an HIV sexual transmission can be zero.

Mr Kapenda said from 2007 to 2018 a number of studies have been conducted on people living with HIV and were on ARV treatment, the results were that they suppressed their viral loads and had zero risk of transmitting virus to their sexual partners.

One study was taken by The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) from June 2007 to May 2015 in Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Thailand, India, Brazil and the United States of America on 1,763 people who included serodiscordant couples, heterosexual and homosexuals revealed that there was a zero genetically linked sexual transmission of HIV-1 infection among individuals with stably undetectable viral loads (< 200 copies/ml) through the use of ART.

The Ministry of Health has since taken a robust move to ensuring that people living with HIV are put on ARVs to ensure that they reduce their viral loads so that even if they met their negative sexual partner, they could not transmit the virus as that will result in non-new infections of HIV.