National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council (NAC) Director General Dr Connie Osborne has led staff at the head office in Lusaka in testing for COVID-19. The tests were carried out on Wednesday the 13th of January 2021 by the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI)’s Disease Surveillance and Rapid Response team. The decision to test everybody was arrived at as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the virus after two COVID-19 positive cases of staff were reported at the national office.

Today the 22^nd of October 2020, the National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council had the honour of presenting awards on four winners of the U-Report Hoodie Competition which saw a total cash prize of K2, 600.00 being given out.

This is part of NAC’s continued drive to mobilise more adolescents and young people to join the U-Report, an SMS based interactive forum providing all adolescent related information leading to more access to services.

A wide spectrum of organizations implementing community level HIV programmes have either halted or reduced their interventions in the face of insecurity posed by countrywide incidences of chemical gassing and the resultant instant mob justice on suspects. 

The development threatens Zambia’s goal of achieving epidemic control of HIV by the end of this year and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

The National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council (NAC) has thrown a challenge to the media to be agents of change in eradicating barriers to HIV and other health services faced by a group of sub populations collectively known as HIV “key populations”.

NAC Director General designate Dr Connie Osborne said the media occupied a privileged position in society giving it significant influence over its audiences.