HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in Tanzania and Botswana (Essay Sample)

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in Tanzania and Botswana
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Introduction
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has emerged as one of the most important socioeconomic and development problems globally. This has led to the recognition that only sustained national response engaging all sectors of the society in meaningful prevention and treatment strategies can slow down the epidemic. This essay sets out a comparative analysis of the health sector response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in terms of transmission prevention and treatment in Tanzania and Botswana.
The first cases were reported in Tanzania in 1983 and the numbers have continued to soar while Botswana reported its first case in 1985 and initially faced one of the most severe HIV epidemics in the world.
Prevention of transmission of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania and Botswana
In Tanzania, public health efforts are mainly aimed at creating and sustaining increased awareness through information sharing, education and targeted advocacy and information for behavior change across all sectoral levels. According to Hunsmann (2012), specific transmission prevention measures include making blood and blood products including blood transfusion safe, early diagnosis of HIV infections through VCTs coupled with early and effective treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) with particular emphasis on high risk behavior groups like sex workers, people involved in transactional sex and teenagers. The public health initiatives further aims to promote safe sex practices like non-penetrative sex and condom use by increasing availability and encouraging consistent use of condoms, faithfulness to partners and abstinence where necessary. Need to expand prevention strategies have also seen the introduction and targeted roll-out of medical male circumcision especially in areas with high prevalence like Kagera and Mbeya where circumcision is not conducted as a cultural practice (URTMH, 2013)
Focus has also been on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) to option B+ which has led to the implementation of new guidelines to offer HIV-positive and breastfeeding mothers Anti Retroviral Treatment (ARV) regardless of their level of CD4 count with these services being provided free of charge to mothers. Trials have also being carried out on the feasibility of biological prevention methods using vaginal microbiocides in women (URTMH, 2012). All these strategies are hinged on effective and active community involvement and empowerment to help come up with appropriate approaches and methodologies in the prevention of HIV infections and hence emphasis is on community involvement.
According to GBMH (2012) strong public health policies regarding transmission prevention have been at the forefront of helping Botswana to successfully sustain the fight against HIV. Such policies, unlike in Tanzania, require healthcare workers to take every opportunity to screen all patients for HIV at all treatment centers. Safe male circumcision has also been adopted as a prevention strategy. This is because it has been proven that circumcision reduces the chances of a man contracting HIV during vaginal intercourse by up to 60%. A male circumcision in Botswana is a national program unlike in Tanzania where it’s targeted at specific locations. Botswana has also encouraged the adoption of anti-retroviral treatment for HIV prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis especially for high risk individuals like discordant couples. This was especially after it was shown ARV treatment significantly reduced chances of transmission from HIV-infected partners in discordant couples.
Public health authorities in Botswana have further adopted universal precaution practices which assume that all bodily fluids are infectious. To that end, healthcare workers when interacting with patients practice safe injection practices to help prevent healthcare workplace transmission. Another strategy adopted is the management of sexually transmitted infections as these more often play a significant role in HIV transmission and acquisition hence proper control and management has been made part of the control program (GBMH, 2012).
Sexual misconceptions and myths such as the notion that sleeping with a virgin or infant will cure AIDS and also that showering after having unprotected sex will help prevent transmission are some of the risk factors that have led to high transmission rates. Deliberate and targeted campaigns have been put in place to high light the general populace of the dangers of such beliefs as far as transmission is concerned.
Policies regarding treatment in Tanzania and Botswana.
To respond to increasing cases of HIV/AIDS public health authorities in Tanzania have initiated a scale up of HIV care and treatment center throughout the country. The current strategy involves initiating ART to individuals with a CD4 count of <350 and promoting an ART regimen simplification using fixed dose combination. Much emphasis has also been laid on the provision of free treatment for opportunistic infection and HIV related complication (URTMH, 2013).
Access to HIV/AIDS treatment in Botswana has remained relatively high, with 95% of all adults in need of treatment receiving it (Chen et al, 2012). The national treatment guidelines recommend treatment provision to patients with a CD4 count of <350cells/mm3 with such patients being put under ARV treatment. Public health protocols in Botswana further recommend Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis to be given to all ages including HIV-exposed babies to provide protection against respiratory and diarrheal pathogens, and post-exposur...