Botswana joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Aids day on the first day of December at Masunga village in the North East District. The key note address was delivered by President Ian Khama.
It is reassuring to note that the president is at the forefront of fight against this epidemic that in the past nearly decimated the population and reversed our past economic gains.
It is however disheartening that despite all the concerted efforts directed at eradicating this horrendous scourge, prevalence rates continue to increase.
At the commemoration, the president bemoaned the fact that in 2013 HIV prevalence stood  at 18.5 percent compared to 17.6 percent in 2008 and that there has been a marked increase in AIDS treatment costs.
“In 2013, HIV prevalence was 18.5 percent compared to 17.6 percent in 2008. In absolute terms the number increased from 300 000 in 2008 to 320 000 in 2013. Given the policy of universal access to free anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to Batswana, the treatment cost increased from P1. 232 billion in 2009/10 to P1.655 billion 2011/12. As a nation, we have an option to reduce the treatment cost by achieving zero new infections. As I indicated during the State of Nation Address a couple of weeks ago, behavioural change is essential for us to achieve new zero infections”.
The president is right to highlight these statistics to Batswana to do all in their power to reduce the infections that are coming at huge cost in terms of treatment.  An increase of cost of more than P400 million in a five-year period is unsustainable in the long term.
The huge treatment cost is not sustainable in the long term for a country that is still struggling to recover from economic recession. Not only that, the country faces other numerous economic challenges that require huge finances.
It is incumbent upon all of us as responsible citizens to stand up and help the government in the fight against this scourge.
The prevalence figures highlighted by the president are just too huge for a country with a small population of only two million.
Let us be challenged to do all in our power to stem the tide.
The increase in the treatment cost is depriving the country of opportunities to invest in return yielding economic activities.
It should become the responsibility of all us to stand up and be counted in the fight against this scourge that is threatening to reverse our past economic gains.
It is saddening that the prevalence increase is recorded among young people aged┬á between 10 to 14 years. These people are the country’s future.
We must all heed the president’s call to reduce new infections. If nothing is done to arrest this situation now , we run the risk of failing to provide the necessary treatment to affected people who should carry this nation forward.
The resources currently deployed in the fight against HIV/AIDS are depriving the nation capacity for the provision of essential services like water, electricity and others that we cannot do without.
As a country we are still faced with a lot of economic challenges. This huge funding could be channeled to fighting other non-communicable diseases that are ravaging the country.
Currently the back log for provision of serviced land for residential, commercial and industrial purposes is unbearable.
The president is correct in expressing his concerns because government together with its strategic partners continue to  assist Batswana who are infected and/or affected by HIV through treatment, care and support.
This year’s World AIDS Day continues to be guided by the 2011 United Nations Declaration on HIV and AIDS which galvanizes the world to “Getting to Zero”. The theme is explicit in that it calls for zero infections, zero discrimination and zero related deaths.
We urge government to seriously consider providing prison inmates with condoms as well as foreign prisoners with ARVs as a way of preventing future infections.
Prevention is better than cure and efforts should be directed to preventing future infections.
