Botswana News

Botswana has ramped up its commitment to malaria elimination, convening a critical workshop in Palapye from December 16–20, 2024, to finalize the National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) for 2025–2029. Supported by WHO Botswana, the five-day workshop brought together health experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders to develop a roadmap for achieving malaria-free status by 2029. Dr.

Botswana joined the global community in commemorating World AIDS Day on December 1, 2024, in Tlokweng village, with His Honour the Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe lauding the country’s achievements in surpassing the UNAIDS 95-95-95 fast-track targets. Botswana is recognized as a beacon of hope in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with 95% of individuals aged 15–65 living with HIV knowing their status, 98% of those diagnosed on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), and 98% achieving viral suppression (95-98-98).

In honor of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence-GBV, the WHO Botswana Country Office hosted a campaign featuring a video screening and discussion on GBV. A survivor shared a powerful story, highlighting key takeaways and exploring how WHO can contribute to ending GBV. Additionally, a pledge wall was set up for staff to write and share their commitments to addressing this issue.

The Government of Botswana observed World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2024 (18–24 November) under the theme, “Educate, Advocate, Act Now”, at the Machaneng Main Kgotla in the Mahalapye District on 22 November 2024.

Malaria elimination has been an agenda that the country has been pursuing for at least a decade now. During that time, the country had experienced fluctuations in malaria case numbers, some years recording increases, while others achieved case rates within elimination targets. These inconsistencies have been attributed to various factors, including the impacts of climate change on breeding seasons, programmatic weaknesses in other areas and the surveillance and Gaps in robust surveillance and timely follow up of cases.

Botswana’s ARV Program has been hailed as one of the successful treatments around the world, that have been running for more than a decade. Given the number of people living quality lives on treatment for a long time, it was imperative to ensure that the treatment program does not encounter resistance strains, to the current robust ARVs in the country. In an ongoing effort to strengthen Botswana's role in HIV drug resistance surveillance, WHO expert from Geneva, Dr.

In early October, Ambassador John Nkengasong, US Global AIDS Coordinator, led the Global Health Security and Diplomacy team to Botswana. They met with development partners, including WHO, and held discussions with government and health partners to:
•    Review PEPFAR’s successes, challenges, and sustainability efforts.
•    Assess development partners’ strategies to close HIV gaps and promote integration.

For several years, Botswana has made significant strides in its HIV treatment program, managing to control the spread of the virus effectively. However, with longevity of the program, introduces the potential for the virus to mutate and thus resistance to the current medications not work as effectively to suppress. , thus a growing concern over the rise of drug resistance now threatens this progress.

Botswana joined the global community in commemorating Patient Safety Day 2024 with a press briefing under the theme, "Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety," accompanied by the slogan, "Get it Right, Make it Safe." The event focused on raising awareness of diagnostic errors, which are a significant contributor to patient harm, and highlighted the collective responsibility of healthcare stakeholders in ensuring safer care.