Tanzanian Lawmakers to Undergo HIV Testing

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HIV Testing (File Photo).

Dodoma: TANZANIAN lawmakers will undergo HIV testing on Thursday in support of government’s fight against the epidemic that kills over 33 000 citizens annually in the East African nation.



Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa launched a national HIV testing campaign on Tuesday.

According to a report in The Citizen, legislators will lead by example by taking HIV tests on Thursday - but voluntarily.

“Of the activities to be undertaken by MPs in support of the initiative, we will have an HIV testing service on Thursday, June 21, where some MPs will take their tests voluntarily,” the chairman for a Parliamentary Committee on HIV and Aids Affairs, Oscar Mukasa is quoted saying.

Out of a total population of over 53 million (UN Population Division, 2015), a total of 1.4 million Tanzanians were estimated to be living with HIV in 2015.



An estimated 54,000 new infections and 36,000 AIDS-related deaths occur in Tanzania annually.

Despite the numbers, Tanzania has done well to control the HIV epidemic over the last decade.

Scaling-up access to antiretroviral treatment has helped Tanzania minimise the impact of the epidemic.

As a result, between 2010 and 2015, the number of new infections declined by more than 20% and the number of people dying from an AIDS-related illness halved.


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