Govt urges Mozambicans to seek HIV test, drugs
MAPUTO, June 8 (Reuters) - Not enough people are coming forward to get life-prolonging HIV drugs, despite Mozambique being able to provide antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to anyone needing them, the country's health minister said.
"We have the capacity to supply ARVs to anyone carrying the virus, but we have to convince people to take the test, otherwise it will be very difficult to change the situation," Health Minister Ivo Garrido told a news conference.
More than 16 percent of Mozambicans aged 14-49 are infected with HIV. An estimated 500 new infections occur each day.
Garrido said the government would encourage more people to seek an HIV test through a radio and television campaign. It would also boost its awareness programme in schools.
Health ministry figures at the end of April showed 101,198 HIV-positive Mozambicans were receiving ARVs, over a quarter in the capital Maputo. There are plans to set up a factory to produce the drugs in the country.
Garrido said many more people in one of the world's poorest nations needed ARV treatment but did not access health facilities to get the drugs. Many others were unaware they had the life-threatening virus.
The government has put in place HIV-prevention programmes in schools and hospitals but critics argue those efforts remain sporadic and confined to Maputo. (Reporting by Charles Mangwiro; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
