Aggressive anti-AIDS programme needed

A more aggressive hands-on campaign is needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Botswana, one of the worst hit countries in Africa, according to a mid-term review by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the government.

"The challenge right now is for Botswana to try to move from building a pretty high level of awareness to a programme that has more of an impact on people's lives," Macharia Kamau, UNDP's resident representative told IRIN on Tuesday. "In a sense, the last four to five years has not been as aggressive or successful as we, including the government, would like to see."

According to UNAIDS figures, over one person in five between the ages of 15 and 49 is living with HIV or AIDS in Botswana. The number of children estimated to have HIV/AIDS has doubled between 1994 to 1997, to 7,300. Botswana has a population of just 1.5 million.

"Cases are rising and there is no plateau in sight. Individually, people are not changing their behaviour," Kamau said. The response is to "take an aggressive look at translating awareness into action, things like condoms easily accessible to all.

"The lessons from other countries is that we have to have a hands-on approach to social mobilisation, and this is where NGOs come in," Kamau added. "The lessons are really persistence, consistency, untiring repetition of the message, and the better targeting of high-risk groups."