The Minister of Health and Population of the Republic of Congo, Gilbert Mokoki, said on Thursday that about 130,000 people are living with HIV in the country, according to 2021 statistics from UNAIDS.
On World AIDS Day, he noted that the prevalence was 3.8% among people aged 15-49. According to him, 28,055 people have been placed on antiretroviral treatment, including 1,432 children under the age of 15.
The trend towards the feminization of the disease continues with some 13,000 new infections notified, including around 74,00 deaths. “Adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 are twice as likely to be HIV positive as their male counterparts,” Mokoki said.
In 2008, the Republic of Congo introduced a system of free care for patients with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A goal that obeys the global strategy to end this pandemic by the year 2030.
Furthermore, the minister deplored the inequalities in access to HIV care and treatment for certain patients and sexual minorities. “Our ambition is to reduce the inequalities of all kinds that prevent the Congo from winning the fight against HIV/AIDS by 2030. To do this, we place human rights and gender equality, groups at risk at forefront of all our response actions,” he said.