Botswana launches Operation Triple Zero to target HIV treatment gaps amongst adolescents

UNICEF, alongside the Ministry of Health, NAHPA, CDC, and partners Sentebale and Baylor Botswana, have just rolled out Operation Triple Zero, also known as OTZ, in Gaborone.

Although Botswana has made major strides in addressing the HIV epidemic, stigma and discrimination, continue to pose a significant barrier for children and adolescents living with HIV, to accessing HIV testing and treatment services, staying on treatment and becoming virally suppressed. According to the latest Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V) launched in 2023, young people’s HIV treatment outcomes seem lower when compared to adults. Adolescent girls and young women are proportionately more affected and continue to face gender-based inequalities and violence. 

To tackle this HIV treatment gap among adolescents, and address some underlying contributors to poor treatment outcomes, the Ministry of Health has partnered with the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), UNICEF, CDC, Botswana-Baylor and Sentebale, to launch a comprehensive package of interventions aimed at strengthening the capacity of the national response to cater for the specific needs of adolescents living with HIV.