World AIDS Day was commemorated in Lesotho through various events at national and district levels.
The national commemoration was graced by Her Majesty Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso, the Deputy Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers, Development partners, civil society organisations, government officials and the public.
The highlight of the day was the launch of the Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) Point of Care machine, which will reduce waiting time for HIV diagnosis among infants from 3 months to just 2 hours! These machines, supported by PEPFAR and UNITAID through EGPAF will be available throughout the ten districts of Lesotho.
The HIV Ambassadors of Hope Champions also delivered a statement commending the country for its efforts to address the HIV epidemic but also raising concerns about the low treatment coverage, and encouraging Basotho to strengthen HIV prevention efforts, know their HIV status, get ART and stay on treatment for the country to attain the 90-90-90 targets. Five more HIV Champions were also given awards by the Deputy Prime Minister for their engagement in the HIV response.