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Spread the good news: U=U gives hope to people living with HIV and their loved ones

South Africa, xx September 2024: While Sub-Saharan Africa is the region in the world most affected by HIV, there is an important message of hope to spread through all our communities, which is that people living with HIV (PLHIV) who stay on their HIV medications can live normal lives with peace of mind that they can’t infect their loved ones.

“In short, we call this message U=U. It stands for Undetectable = Untransmittable. What it means is that people who stay on their prescribed HIV medications without any breaks or interruptions can bring down their viral count so much that it becomes basically undetectable in tests, and once the viral level is undetectable it prevents sexual transmission of HIV. If everyone who lives with HIV can stay on their meds and get their viral loads undetectable, we can stop the spread of HIV together very soon. We can look forward to a future where HIV is no longer spreading and we can all live happy, healthy and safe lives,” explains Dr Ziyanda Makaba, Clinical Specialist for HIV and Paediatrics at BroadReach Health Development.

Dr Makaba explains that there are three major benefits to U=U:

• U=U means an undetectable viral load prevents the sexual transmission of HIV
• It prevents the further spread of HIV now and for future generations
• HIV medications available in state clinics are highly effective, with greater health benefits if they are taken correctly and consistently as prescribed.

PEPFAR, an initiative of the US President’s office over the past 20 years and in long-time collaboration with the Department of Health and implementation partners like BroadReach, has conducted several surveys with adult South Africans living with HIV to see if they recognised and understood the U=U messaging. The surveyed group reflected the demographic profile of South Africa. It found that there was a lower level of awareness that there were effective available medications that could prevent the transmission of HIV. Critically, only about one third of PLHIV knew what U=U meant or knew that if they stayed on their HIV medications, they could protect their partners from getting the virus.

“It’s very important that we start spreading the U=U message all through our communities. People need to know there is real hope. We can stop HIV in its tracks very soon we can achieve undetectable viral loads,” says Dr Makaba. An example of these kinds of interventions that empower communities to proactively manage their treatment, is DREAMS. DREAMS is a joint programme run by BroadReach Health Development, the Department of Health (DoH) and international funders such as USAID and PEPFAR. This program is aimed at reducing rates of HIV amongst adolescent girls and young women through a holistic approach including access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention and other educational, economic strengthening and violence protection initiatives that address their vulnerability to HIV. One of the key areas this program focuses on is peer support initiatives to encourage adolescent girls and young women to get tested, linked to medications for the prevention and treatment of HIV, and for those that tested HIV positive, to maintain ultra-low, and therefore undetectable and untransmittable, HIV viral loads so that they can go on to pursue their dreams and live fulfilled lives. DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) and is supporting high-risk young women and girls around the country.

Dr. Makaba adds, “Let’s all spread the word together that the amazing HIV medications we have available – if you take them exactly as prescribed, without skipping a day and achieve viral suppression – this is highly effective in protecting people living with HIV and sexual partners. People need to know their HIV status and if HIV positive, start on the HIV medication and then know their viral count. You can get tested at your local clinic and it’s free and discreet. Once you know what your status is, and if you are confirmed HIV-positive, you can start on the life-saving HIV medications that are available in all public hospitals and clinics today, and this can save you and your partner and family. This is very good news that everyone in South Africa needs to hear today.”

For more information about U=U, please visit https://www.facebook.com/UequalsUza.

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HIV FACTS:

According to the United Nations’ children’s agency (UNICEF), Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV, and more needs to be done to get young people into clinics to be tested and if HIV negative linked to prevention strategies and if positive linked to treatment for HIV. Their data shows that adolescents and young people made out a “growing share of people living with HIV worldwide” and that in Southern Africa only 25% of adolescent girls and 17% of adolescent boys aged 15-19 years were being tested for HIV.

Earlier this year African heads of state, gathered for the annual African Union summit and approved the new Protocol on Digital Trade (the “Digital Protocol”) under the auspices of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Approval of the AfCFTA’s Digital Protocol is a pivotal step for African nations, their citizens, private sector, and other stakeholders in Africa’s ongoing development as a player the global economy.

The Protocol is intended to support continent-wide digital trade and help both individual African countries, and the continent as a whole, participate fully in the digital economy of the future by harmonizing rules, standards, and practices. The urgency and speed with which the Digital Protocol was developed, negotiated, and approved is a model for continental diplomacy.

Summary of the Digital Protocol

The Protocol is comprehensive and has far-reaching implications. The Digital Protocol applies to all African states who have signed on (expected to be most or all member states eventually) and covers all market sectors. All parties to the agreement must comply with the Digital Protocol within five years.

Key areas addressed include improving market access, facilitating digital trade, enhancing data governance, fostering business and consumer trust and transparency, improving digital inclusion and literacy, tackling emerging technologies such as AI, and building continent wide capacity to participate fully in the global digital economy.

In focusing on improving trade across African countries with each other and, as a combined Africa global market, the Protocol specifically attempts to address some known impediments today, such as the ability to move data, digital products and services, and digital payments across nation borders within Africa. The Protocol pays particular attention to ensuring modernized and harmonized digital payment infrastructure and regulations that make it easier for Africans to do business with other Africans.

Of particular interest to tech companies, both global and African -based, the Protocol paves the way for more African data centers and increased cloud computing, promotes digital literacy and capacity development, eliminates data residency claims except in special circumstances, and provides protections around source code.

What it means for Africa and the World

The Digital Protocol has the potential to transform Africa into a major global hub for digital products and services.

First, though, Africa must leverage its combined digital-enabled market power to the world. With 54 countries, all with different digital requirements, patchwork legal frameworks, ranging market maturity, and varying impediments, many individual countries are being left behind in the digital age.

The Digital Protocol paves the way for a range of data and digital intensive industries. For example, the global life sciences market needs African nations and their markets to improve flow of data regionally and continent wide. Also, nascent African manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices needs data-driven efficient supply chains, optimized management of inventory, product flow, and chain of custody. With more integrated regional and continental supply chains enabled by digitization, African pharmaceutical manufacturers should be able compete more effectively on the global stage.

The Protocol, combined with improved infrastructure and human capacity development, will make African nations much more attractive for private capital. This, in turn, should accelerate early efforts to foster African regional data center hubs, entrepreneurial accelerators, and tech outsourcing.

About BroadReach Group

BroadReach Group is an African social enterprise that helps organizations to deliver better outcomes, improved resource efficiency, cost savings, enhanced organizational performance, and sustainable systems. We operate across multiple African countries and have operations in Europe, UK, and the US. In addition, BroadReach brings deep technical expertise in technology and digital transformation.

Through our twenty plus years operating on the African continent we have gained an intimate and nuanced understanding of how to get things done within and across African countries. Sitting at the intersection of government, private sector, and international players, we see the connection points to drive positive change across ecosystem partners. For example, BroadReach is currently engaged to help mature and harmonize regulatory ecosystems at the country, regional, and continent-wide level.

Our experience and expertise in Africa give us a distinct ability to offer a range of strategic digital transformation services, including strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, readiness assessments, gap analysis, implementation planning and project management, and technical interoperability and integration support.

BroadReach and BAO are collaborating on the enablement of DHIS2, powered by AI from Vantage Health Technologies, part of BroadReach Group. DHIS2 is the world’s largest health information management system, underpinning healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. BAO Systems is a US-based health IT organization with deep expertise in implementing DHIS2 globally.

15 July 2024, Cape Town – BroadReach Group and Washington-based BAO Systems have entered into a collaboration agreement that will advance how patients can benefit from ethical healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) across continents.

The partners will use AI-powered DHIS2 to support the performance of healthcare operations and the health workforce to be more efficient and effective, optimizing scarce resources. Initial areas of focus include HIV prevention, care, and treatment, as well as reproductive health.

Chris LeGrand, CEO of BroadReach Group, said: “In the evolving landscape of global health, digital innovation emerges as a beacon of hope, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare accessibility and quality. We are honored to partner with BAO Systems to drive advancement in how AI can add value to our customers and ultimately better health outcomes.”

Paul Bhuhi, Managing Director of Vantage Health Technologies, says: “Working together BroadReach Group and BAO systems will bring all the benefits of ethical AI to collaborate in the creation of AI driven insights that improve health systems performance and health outcomes. BroadReach will achieve this via its AI driven platform ‘Vantage’, and BAO Systems will collaborate with its deep knowledge on DHIS2 and other health data sources. Together BroadReach Group and BAO Systems will unlock the value that sits within existing ICT platforms and data streams, such as DHIS2, and offer next generation value from that data to its customers and users.”

Steffen Tengesdal, CEO of BAO Systems, added: “Our collaboration with BroadReach Group marks a significant step forward in leveraging data and AI to enhance health system performance. By combining our expertise in DHIS2 with BroadReach’s AI-driven platform, Vantage, we aim to unlock the value of existing ICT platforms and data streams, providing next-generation insights and improving health outcomes globally.”

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About BroadReach Group:

BroadReach Group is a group of social impact businesses focused on harnessing innovation and technology to empower human action. Since 2003 BroadReach Group has worked in over 30 countries to support governments, international NGOs, public and private sector to improve health outcomes for their populations.

BroadReach has been at the forefront of developing innovative approaches to improve the outcome of people living with HIV, TB and other diseases for more than 20 years. BroadReach Group has two mutually reinforcing businesses, BroadReach Health Development and Vantage Health Technologies. We help health organizations optimize health outcomes and resources by using AI and Machine Learning to enable timely and informed action to deliver better health outcomes, more efficient use of scarce resources, cost efficiencies, improved organizational performance and more sustainable health systems.

About BAO Systems:

BAO Systems is a leading provider of innovative data technology solutions for global health programs and other international development sectors. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., BAO Systems specializes in implementing DHIS2, the world’s largest health information management system. The company offers a suite of services including data analytics, system integration, and training, aimed at empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions to improve health outcomes. BAO Systems has a strong track record of supporting international health programs and has been instrumental in advancing the use of data for better decision-making across numerous countries.