Dar es Salaam: The government has strengthened domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by integrating coordination on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and hepatitis to reach more people and improve the efficiency of service delivery.
Coordination of the disease has been integrated through the National AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Hepatitis Control Program (NASHCoP), which was launched in Dar es Salaam on Friday by the Minister of Health, Ms Ummy Mwalimu.
“We conducted an assessment and realized that we were making progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but less attention was paid to sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis B was on the rise in the country, especially for special groups such as drug users Ms Mwalimu said sexually transmitted diseases could also significantly weaken the health of citizens and facilitate the spread of new HIV infections.
She said that in 2015, the Ministry of Health proposed a strategic plan for hepatitis control, but implementation was slow and services were mainly focused on service providers.
“I am not happy with this trend, which is why I refuse to make any statements during the commemoration of World Hepatitis Day, but so far I am confident that we have achieved our dreams and we are launching an inclusive strategy program, which will include hepatitis B, HIV and STDs,” she said.
The minister said the government had achieved new successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS by reducing new infection rates, death tolls and stigma.
Despite the success, she said, less attention has been paid to controlling STDs and hepatitis B, which she said are related because they share a mode of transmission with HIV/AIDS.
The minister told people with STIs that they are at greater risk of contracting HIV if exposed to the virus through sexual contact than those who are not infected, while people who are HIV-positive and have STIs are more likely to transmit HIV through sexual contact than those who are not infected Others living with HIV.
She said that sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis B are on the rise in the country, and due to the high cost of treatment, they place a heavy burden on the government and individuals, especially hepatitis B.
A total of 6,542 people in the country were diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases from January to September this year, the minister said, noting that this number only applies to those who went to a medical facility for diagnosis.
“This is only a small proportion of people with this disease and there are many people who do not go to hospital. They end up treating themselves with antibiotics at home without a doctor’s prescription. “This practice is harmful to our health because it can lead to antimicrobial resistance,” she said.
The minister said groups at risk of contracting HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis include miners, fishermen, long-distance drivers and pastoralists who often move from one place to another.
“There are many people treating pelvic infectious disease (PID) with antibiotics themselves rather than going to hospital, which is a cause of new transmissions of HIV and hepatitis B,” she said.
Ms Umi said the government was currently committed to educating the public about diseases, especially sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis, as most people ignored them.
Ummy added: “We hope to curb the spread of these diseases by educating the public and encouraging them to get tested and treated, especially for STDs and hepatitis, as there is also a vaccine specifically for hepatitis B.”
Dr. Moses Sagoe-Charles, Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), said they were pleased to participate in the Tanzanian government’s process of developing a comprehensive strategic plan for NASHCoP.
Dr Moses said: “This newly developed strategy is very consistent with existing key national documents, including the Health Sector Strategic Plan 5 and the National AIDS Control Plan, which have already successfully done this for these three diseases.”