In one of the most strategic health care moves in recent history seen anywhere in the world, South Africa has made a huge commitment to helping those infected with HIV.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa said Thursday it will now provide free treatment to all people infected with HIV, regardless of the condition of their immune system. The country leads the world in infections.
Before the announcement by the country’s health department, people were eligible for free treatment based on a certain measure of their white blood cells, which fight infection.
“This new policy extends this to all people living with HIV,” the department said.
The change is based on World Health Organization guidelines adopted in late 2015 after it was found that treating those with HIV as early as possible improves their health and prolongs their life.
South Africa has one of the world’s largest treatment programs, with over 3.4 million people receiving HIV medication.
The United Nations has said some seven million people in South Africa were believed to be infected with HIV in 2105.
The health department said the change in policy would help increase life expectancy in the country, currently at 63 years, to at least 70 years by 2030.
It warned, however, that the change may lead to congestion and increased waiting times at health facilities. - bigstory.ap.org
I knew the numbers were bad all across Africa, but did not know that South Africa was the hardest hit. The numbers are truly shocking and have been for almost a decade.
With this move, is South Africa going to spark other nations to do the same? Will Nigeria and India follow suit?
The HIV pandemic is most severe in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over 60% of all people living with HIV reside within the region. Adult HIV prevalence exceed 20% in Swaziland, Botswana, and Lesotho, while an additional six countries report adult HIV prevalence of at least 10%. In terms of raw HIV case numbers, South Africa has largest population living with HIV (6.3 million), followed by Nigeria (3.2 million), and India (2.1 million) by the end of 2013. While South Africa's large population of HIV-positive people is attributable to its high disease prevalence (17.3%), neither Nigeria (3.7%) nor India (0.3%) are particularly noteworthy in this regard. Rather, their high population of HIV-positive people is an artifact of very large national populations—174 million and 1.25 billion, respectively. - wikipedia.com
Will less affected / infected nations follow suit?
h/t: bigstory.ap.org