LUSAKA, Zambia

Zambia commemorated World AIDS Day on Wednesday with a commitment to meet the needs of 400,000 citizens living with the disease.

The southern African nation has 1.5 million citizens living with HIV/AIDS and 1.1 million are on antiretroviral medication, according to Health Minister Sylvia Masebo.

Masebo said in the capital Lusaka that the country recorded 51,000 new HIV infections in 2020 and she urged a doubling of efforts to address the challenges facing the population dealing with the disease.

"No one is safe and we need to collectively reinvigorate efforts in addressing the peculiar challenges faced by those at risk who predominantly are adolescent girls, truck drivers, orphans and vulnerable children and migrant workers," said Masebo.

Some of the challenges she highlighted were that adolescent girls are not free to access information about sexual reproductive health and education because of age restrictions and perceived public antagonism. That renders them vulnerable to engaging in sexual activity because of peer pressure which puts them at higher risk for AIDS.

She added that the commemoration's theme, “End inequality, End AIDS, End pandemics,” was timely in helping to end discrimination against citizens living with the disease.

Zambia wants to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

It has a population of 18 million and Masebo said those aged 15-49 are in the high-risk bracket for contracting AIDS.