MBAYE (not his real name) was proud of his great success in life in 2019. But in 2020, he found himself in a state of depression due to health changes.

The clothes started to scratch him.

When he went for a health check, he found out that he was infected with the AIDS virus.

His wife, who was pregnant, also tested and found herself infected.

The couple traveled from the area where they lived to the city of Dakar, which is the capital of the country of Senegal, to get anti-viral drugs (ARVs).

They also received care to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

It was a great joy for Mbaye and his wife because despite their health returning to normal, as well as the child who was born, when he was tested, he did not have the AIDS virus.

This story was given by the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, through his message for the celebration of World AIDS Day.

The world unites to celebrate this day by looking at the progress of the fight against AIDS.

It identifies challenges and sets strategies to end this epidemic.

Referring to the couple's case, Dr. Moeti says it reminds the government and health stakeholders of the importance of not allowing AIDS to fall on the list of priorities in Africa.

WHO, through Moeti, encourages the development of HIV prevention services, testing and treatment based on the equality of all groups of people without leaving anyone behind.

"We support people living with HIV and remember those who lost their lives due to AIDS.

This year's theme is 'Equality' wanting everyone to encourage equality in efforts to face the disease," he says.

He explains that the African region has about 25.6 million people living with HIV and that in the last decade, new infections have decreased by 44 percent and deaths from the disease have decreased by 55 percent. doing so including encouraging and supporting the expansion of new prevention and treatment technologies for this disease.

Another step is to provide guidance on integrating prevention, testing and treatment;

to build the capacity of countries to improve the availability of statistics and quality.

The organization and stakeholders have also increased the scope of obtaining medicine, treatment and health technologies.

They also support national plans for HIV treatment and WHO wants countries and stakeholders to close the gap of equality to eradicate AIDS by focusing on the groups left behind.

"We have to ensure that everyone has equal access to HIV prevention, tests, treatment and services," says Dr. Moeti.

He insists the ministries responsible for health in the member countries to build strong and workable health systems that will be able to identify imbalances and provide solutions.

If there are eight years left until the year 2030, which is targeted for AIDS to be eradicated, Moeti says that measures are needed to stop the effects of this epidemic by focusing on the affected groups, especially children, adolescent girls, women and other groups.

Member countries of the organization, with the support of stakeholders, should expand and develop access to preventive and curative services for all people by using innovative service delivery systems.

Prevention, treatment In Tanzania, the provision of prevention and treatment is carried out thanks to innovative services, including the provision of injection therapy for people with HIV, the provision of friendly ARVs for children and the empowerment of people to test themselves for HIV.

Injections In a special interview with HabariLEO on the World AIDS Day celebrations concluded in Lindi, the WHO Tanzania-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis Officer, Dr. Johnson Lyimo mentions injections as one of the long-term preventive drugs, with great success .

Dr. Lyimo says in October this year, the WHO recommended starting to be used as a preventive medicine that prevents the transmission of AIDS (PReP).

"The recommendations of the WHO have come out to be applied to our country.

Right now we are continuing to consult with the government and organizations sponsoring the program...to start using them in the country.

And in its use, they can start in some areas, and then it will increase in size," he says.

He explains how they are used: "Very big on the side of the needle, if you inject it today, you inject it again in two months.

And previous studies have shown that it has been very protective.

"Patients who inject have a very high immunity to HIV."

However, he says there are challenges, especially drug resistance, so it is recommended that the drugs be used while the drug resistance monitoring system is strengthened in various centers and places.

According to the expert, WHO has issued guidelines for monitoring drug resistance.

He says they will sit with philanthropists, stakeholders to implement the plan to eradicate drug resistance while they continue to be released.

Only adults and not children are eligible to use the injection.

"Remember that these are preventive injections, so they are meant for those who are at risk either behaviorally or environmentally.

For example, a father or a mother, one has the virus and the other does not... When they reach puberty and the age of sexual intercourse, we increase them."

The goal is to put effort into reducing mother-to-child transmission from the current 11 percent to five percent.

CHILDREN'S ARVS

Regarding ARVs friendly to small children, Dr. Lyimo says they have started to be distributed in the country.

He says his start is a big step in the whole context of AIDS treatment for children.

He says there is a new drug called DTG 10 and from May this year, employees in all regions have received training on how to use it.

"They have already started to be distributed in all regions.

This drug has spread to all regions in the country, its use has started.

This is one area where we made progress.

But monitoring is needed.”

HIV TESTING

Regarding self-testing tests, Dr. Lyimo says that this is an important strategy that is expected to enable easy access to groups.

However, he insists that the answers obtained are not final, but the subject should go to the centers to check them.

The expert emphasizes the things to emphasize include the area of ​​protection in the sense of the mother going to the child as Mbaye and his wife managed to protect their child and restore happiness in the family.