Nation to Test Entire Population for HIV. 26/7/11

Is it possible to test an entire population?

AllAfrica

Authorities in Swaziland want to subject the entire Swazi population to an HIV/AIDS screening test. Those eventually found to be HIV positive would then receive antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). It is an ambitious project involving various donors including the Dutch organization, Stop Aids Now! But is it possible to test an entire population?

Prospects

Nearly 200,000 of Swaziland's 1.2 million inhabitants are HIV positive, which makes the southern African country the world record holder for HIV prevalence. Moreover, many Swazis have never been tested for HIV before. The number of people living with the virus that causes AIDS could thus be much higher.

HIV/ AIDS expert, Joep de Lange, from the University of Amsterdam, is among the supporters of the project.

According to him, the screening test could lower the prevalence of the pandemic to one percent of the Swazi population. But he remains cautious: "You cannot force people to use ARVs. Continuous monitoring is necessary. But it is a promising strategy in the fight against the pandemic".

Possible or impossible?

Is it really possible to conduct a screening test on such a scale? Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa, stretching over 200km from North to South and 130km from East to West. Only people above the age of 15 will be tested. A monumental task indeed, but not an impossible one according to local authorities.

Dutchman Ton Vriend has been living in Swaziland since 1976. He has been involved in numerous health projects and is skeptical as regards the feasibility of such a campaign. "I don't think it is possible to provide drugs to all patients. Moreover, a checkup will only be possible in cities, where the clinics are, and people living in rural areas cannot generally afford to get there".

Used condoms

Swaziland has some experience when it comes to large scale screening tests. Part of the population has already been tested in various rural areas such as the areas around sugar cane plantations.

Unlike many other African countries, HIV/AIDS is no longer taboo in Swaziland. However, according to Vriend, a there is still a lot to be done with regard to protection measures against the virus.

Vriend: "In the cities, condoms are widely available. However, in remotes areas, people sometimes have to walk for several kilometers to acquire them and sometimes they are already used. People here have a different kind of sexuality".

Swaziland would nevertheless make history, as no other country has ever subjected its entire population to an HIV screening test.