Botswana landed a remarkable achievement in AIDS eradication. The South African country is the second nation to achieve the United Nations’ “95-95-95” goal on HIV diagnosis, treatment, and viral suppression, only two years after Estwatini in 2020 and several years before the projected UN date. The numbers, respectively, refer to the percentage of HIV-positive people to know their status; of diagnosed individuals on medication; and of those under treatment showing signs of viral suppression. Yet despite these highly ambitious goals, Botswana has received a staggering 95-98-98 score, compared to the 2020 global average of 84-87-90. The country is "well positioned to end its HIV epidemic by 2030.”
The road to recovery has not been easy and almost impossible at one point. Back in 2001, AIDS-related deaths reached 1.6 million people in that year alone. The situation became so dire that even the former president Festus Mogae stated to the UN General Assembly that they were “threatened with extinction” in 2002. Since then, the country has undergone several public health campaigns to combat the virus. In 2002, it began offering anti-retroviral drugs to patients and in 2019, it decriminalized same-sex relationships – both of which critically opened up new avenues for poor or queer Botswana who have previously been denied access to such healthcare.
Other initiatives worked on developing consensual models of treatment with a steady eye on human rights and gender equality. Building strong community relationships was key to Botswana’s success. Local health departments made frequent house calls to encourage pregnant women to register with them for free HIV testing and treatment. One woman from the Kweneng West district remarked, “the nurses and health-care officers give the option for all to test-and-treat. It is always a clear choice, and not a forced one.” These meaningful interactions that respected womens’ bodily autonomy were small yet impactful in ensuring the program’s success.
Botswana has paved the way for a more hopeful future in Eastern and Southern African countries who are still in the ongoing fight against AIDS. Botswana has taught us that "it's not an easy feat. But [...] it is doable with investment and political commitment, as well as communities working to deliver the needed services," said Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the president of the International AIDS Society (IAS). As for the international community – as the impacts of Long COVID and Monkeypox continue to worsen, it would be in our best interest to keenly study Botswana’s public health models if we are to mitigate their disastrous, long term impacts on humanity.