Lesotho News

The World AIDS Day (WAD) national commemoration was marked on the 1st December,2011 at Ha Mabote in Maseru District. The theme for this year is “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths".

The Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in March 2010, was officially launched on May 11th at the Convention Center in Maseru, Lesotho. Road traffic accidents are major but neglected public health problems in Lesotho. During the last five years, 2006-2010, 1,593 people lost their lives on Lesotho roads. The Lesotho Decade of Action covers critical areas for action, from enhancing roads and vehicles to improving the behaviors of drivers.

World TB Day was celebrated on 24th March at Botsabelo Multi–Drug Resistant (MDR)/ Extensively-Drug Resistant (XDR) TB Hospital in Maseru. This is a modern state of the art facility that reflects innovative ways in management and control of MDR/XDR TB with bed occupancy of 22, laboratory, X-ray and pharmacy units. The Hospital was established in 2006 by the Government of Lesotho in collaboration with Partners.

4 April 2008, Maseru -- In 2004, Lesotho became one of the first countries in the world to launch a nationwide effort to test its entire population for HIV. The initiative was introduced as the ‘Know Your Status Campaign’ (KYS). The objective of the campaign, which was co-ordinated by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), and supported by partners such as the United Nations (UN), mainly WHO, UNICEF and UNDP, was to ensure that all Basotho over the age of 12 years be offered an HIV test by end of 2007.

WHO Country Office Lesotho Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1, Jan. 2008