00:00Around the world, HIV rates are on the decline, but in Papua New Guinea, it's a worryingly different story.
00:08In the past decade, the number of new infections has doubled from 6,000 per year to about 11,000 in 2024.
00:16It's caused the United Nations and the PNG government to declare a national crisis,
00:21with concerns the trend will put increasing pressure on PNG's health budget.
00:26Then we are going to buy HIV medicine only and then we will run out of money to buy TB drugs and malaria drugs and typhoid drugs and diarrheal drugs and every other.
00:37But the UN wants the PNG government to do more to address the issue, urging it to double its current spending on HIV.
00:44The need for controlling the epidemic is huge, it's enormous and it is estimated to cost 280 million per year.
00:57In specialist clinics like this one in Port Moresby, staff are urging more people to get tested and get treated.
01:05The earlier the better to go on ART if you are tested positive, because then you can live a normal life, you can live healthy, you can live long and you will not be able to transmit the virus once you are faithfully taking your ART.
01:20It's estimated about 120,000 people are currently living with HIV in PNG, but less than half of them are getting the life saving medication they need.
01:31It's believed that's due to a combination of stigma, access and a lack of awareness, something that authorities are now trying desperately to address.
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