Luena – At least 82 people died during the first half of this year in Moxico province, victims of HIV and AIDS, local health authorities said on Thursday.
Compared to the same period last year, there has been an increase of 22 deaths, while 1,742 new cases were tested, out of a total of 54,311 people screened.
Moxico municipality was the region with the highest mortality rate caused by the disease in this period, with a total of 75 (+13) deaths and 1,172 new cases of contamination.
According to the provincial supervisor of the program to combat HIV-AIDS in Moxico, Clotilde Wiliam, who was speaking at the launch of the project to raise awareness of the disease, most patients who die come to the health units in the terminal phase of the disease, making treatment difficult.
The supervisor said that at least 79 children were born free of HIV-AIDS in the first half of this year, as part of the program to prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child called “Born Free to Shine”.
Compared to the previous period, there was an increase of 11 more children with a negative outcome, while another 192, born from 326 HIV-positive pregnant women diagnosed in the same period are undergoing treatment.
However, three newborn children contracted the disease, six fewer than in the previous period.
Figures show that the province controls a total of 3,164 patients.
This year, the campaign to raise awareness of the disease, which takes place annually in December, will run under the slogan “follow the path of human rights”. TC/YD/AMP
