We are providing support to the ministry of health by assisting with infection control and triage at health facilities. We are also part of technical advisory groups to the ministry of health, and are implementing adjusted models of care for patients living with HIV, TB and non-communicable diseases in order to reduce their risk of infection.
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OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE IN ESWATINI
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Eswatini (former Swaziland) has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV, with nearly one in three adults living with the disease. However, around 80 per cent of people with TB in Eswatini are HIV positive.
Estimates suggest that HIV incidence rates in Eswatini have fallen in recent years, as significant progress has been made in improving the number of people receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
In addition, the incidence of drug-sensitive tuberculosis (TB) has more than halved between 2010 and 2016, as numbers of people with drug-resistant forms of TB have fallen by 20 per cent between 2015 and 2016.
We continue to help more HIV patients access ARV treatment through the ’test and start’ strategy. A team has been piloting ‘test and start’ in the Nhlangano project; after HIV testing, ARV treatment was offered to more than 1,700 people after a positive HIV diagnosis to immediately start treatment.