The health of almost 12,000 children living with HIV across Namibia has rapidly improved due to dolutegravir medication.

The child version of the HIV drug was introduced in July 2021 by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in partnership with the U.S. government.

Dolutegravir, or DTG, has proven to be more effective in treating HIV and less likely to cause side effects in children.

However, according to a media release by the US Embassy in Namibia, there are still challenges to treating and caring for children living with HIV.

This requires continuous collaborative efforts between the Health Ministry and the U.S. Government to strengthen HIV care and treatment for children and adolescents in 2023.

This includes training more healthcare providers on how to explain the importance of taking medicine to children, continuing support for older HIV-positive adolescents to take on a leadership role to support other HIV-positive children, as well as establishing support groups for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents living with HIV.

97% of children and adolescents living with HIV in Namibia were on a DTG-based regimen in 2022.