March 21, 2022
“Fighting the HIV epidemic has been a marathon, not a sprint,” said US Ambassador to Botswana Mr. Craig Cloud. “It has required perseverance, dedication, and the will to never give up.”
In this spirit, the Maryland Global Initiatives Cooperation (MGIC) and Botswana-University of Maryland School of Medicine Health Initiative (Bummhi) held a handover event for equipment used in the Fifth Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V) on March 8, 2022 in Gaborone. BAIS V was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implemented by MGIC-BW.
BAIS-V was a national survey that helped assess HIV’s prevalence in Botswana; its goal, among others, was to help the Government of Botswana, its partners, and the public learn how many people are currently infected with HIV, how many people have new infections, and how many people living with HIV are on effective treatment. The effort was monumental, and as such required tools ranging from tablets and computers to laboratory equipment and vehicles.
The US government, through UMB, donated this equipment to the Botswana Public Health Institute (BPHI), The National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), Statistics Botswana, the Health Research Unit, and the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC). The NEOC had received its donated equipment prior and has been using the same for COVID-19 programming. Using the donations received, BPHI will be able to build an integrated, comprehensive, and efficient health information management, and surveillance system to track and control public health threats and hazards.
The tablets and computers donated to NAHPA will help support upcoming surveys and measuring health concerns for Botswana. The tools used during the BAIS V survey will help Statistics Botswana collect and manage data from the National Census. The Health Research Unit was given computers and tablets that will help the team’s digital capacity, allowing them to easily track any project and provide the necessary monitoring to study teams and study participants. With the donated computers, they will be able to strengthen the timely collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of the COVID-19 data by stakeholders.
While addressing the crowd, Mr. Cloud said the results from BAIS V have given Botswana critical information to plan and prepare to complete the last leg of the race to end the HIV epidemic.
“Winning a marathon takes planning and preparation,” Mr. Cloud said. He added that planning and preparation involves providing equipment and supplies to successfully finish Botswana’s work. “We have seen the PEPFAR and Government of Botswana investments pay off as we approach the finish line, with a remarkable decline of HIV cases over the past two decades. This donation will be used to support the ongoing race to improve public health response and minimize the toll on our friends,” he stated.
If this crucial equipment had not been provided to Botswana, the country’s survey efforts would have been much more difficult—or, perhaps, impossible.
Contact
Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity
Institute of Human Virology
Tyler New
Scientific Writer
tnew@ihv.umaryland.edu
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