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. Michael Jordan recently visited the WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV Drug Resistance in Botswana.

His visit comes after the Botswana HIV Drug Resistance Technical Working Group (HIV DR TWG), met in Mahalapye recently to assess the current state of HIV drug resistance and draft a comprehensive report outlining strategic actions to address the issue. The visit was part of WHO’s sustained support from its Geneva and Africa Regional Offices, aimed at enhancing the center's capacity to conduct HIV drug resistance testing and support regional HIV programs. Dr. Jordan’s visit focused on assessing and addressing capacity gaps within the lab, thus ensuring that it maintains its designation status as a WHO Collaborating Centre. He provided technical guidance to lab scientists on optimizing their processes, including data analysis, to align with WHO standards. This support is also extended to improving the lab's ability to conduct comprehensive HIV drug resistance surveillance, with the view to expand the testing of other pathogens as well. In addition, the surveillance covered high-risk groups, such as infants and individuals undergoing long-term ARV treatment, to detect any emerging resistance to current Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

The visit highlights Botswana’s potential to serve as a Regional Laboratory in HIV drug resistance testing. Dr. Jordan’s guidance will enable the center to position itself, strengthen process and improve on the measures towards processing specimens from other countries in conducting resistance testing, and share findings to support HIV programs across the region. This visit coincides with the end of Botswana's first year as a designated WHO Collaborating Centre. As the year one report is prepared for submission, Botswana aims to demonstrate its progress in meeting WHO’s standards and terms of reference for the center.

Botswana’s mature ARV program has garnered international acclaim, making the country a key player in monitoring global ARV resistance trends. WHO has expressed confidence in Botswana’s capacity to support ongoing surveillance efforts to track the effectiveness of newer ARVs. While current data indicates minimal emerging resistance, the WHO Collaborating Centre will continue its vital surveillance to keep track of any changes, safeguarding the impact of ARV treatment in Botswana and beyond.