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2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS
General Assembly, UN, New York, 8-10 June 2011

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Statements and Webcast

Botswana
H.E. Mr. John Seakgosing, Minister for Public Health

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

8 June 2011

  • Statement:

Statement Summary

JOHN SEAKGOSING, Minister for Public Health for Botswana, said over the past decade, his country has embarked on a number of intensive preventative measures, but people still continued to get newly infected.  The percentage of the population living with HIV/AIDS was significantly high, at more than 17 per cent.  Prevalence among Botswana women was at 19 per cent.  However, positive achievements had been made with regard to universal access.

The percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving completed courses of antiretroviral treatment stood at 94 per cent, and the global elimination target of less than 5 per cent mother-to-child transmission had been met.  In Botswana, more than 93 per cent of those given the appropriate therapies survived beyond the first twelve months, and 100 percent coverage was supplied for orphans and vulnerable children.  The significant domestic resources required for such programmes continued to be challenges to the national response, but sacrifices had been made to ensure access and quality care. Botswana supported the full realization of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and would continue to seek new and innovative ways to meet the challenges of universal access in the context of the rapidly changing epidemic.  The country would focus on prevention, systemic strengthening, and scaling up treatment, care and support.

Source: GA/11086