The NAS boss who was speaking recently during the HIV and AIDS Open Caravan Show as part of the World AIDS Day Celebrations, said: “The Gambia has a low HIV prevalence in the general citing 1.9% (DHS, 2019/2020), and 1.3% (NSS, 2023).”
The celebration was held in Banjul under the theme: ‘Take the right path: my health, my right'.
The National Sentinel Surveillance (NSS) 2023, he added, revealed that the highest “HIV prevalence by administrative region is Upper River Region (URR) and lowest is North Bank Region.”
“In 2024 UNAIDS estimated that 26,497 people are living with HIV. In The Gambia, only 15,898 (60%) know their HIV status. Of those who know their status, 10,313 (65 %) were receiving treatment and 61% (6,581) of those on ART had a suppressed viral load,” he said.
“The country, therefore, needs to redouble her efforts in improving access to testing and treatment and address stigma and discrimination as they continue to be compounding factors to the utilization of HIV and AIDS services.”
“Let us all go to the nearest health facility to know our HIV status so that those found HIV positive will be put on treatment and break the chain of transmission.”
“With human rights at the center, with communities in the lead, the world can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. But gaps in the realization of human rights for all are keeping the world from getting on the path that ends AIDS and are hurting public health, and now a surge in attacks on rights is threatening to undermine the progress that has been made,” he postulated.
Gender equality, he went on, is an essential element of an approach to AIDS that is grounded in human rights.
Speaking at the forum, the UNDP Resident Representative Mandisa Mashologu, said: “The Gambia is characterised as having a low HIV epidemic, with approximately 26,368 people living with HIV as of 2024. This represents about 1.3% of the adult population aged between 15 and 49 who fall within the 77% of the population below the age of 35.”
“Despite the relatively low national HIV prevalence rate, there remains a pressing need to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention and care and continued efforts to reduce infection rates and provide support to those who are affected.”
“As such, the country's HIV/AIDS prevention and care programmes must be tailored to reach the young Gambians who are a high-risk group.”
