page_title: HIV/AIDS in Lesotho
hierarchical_section_title: HIV/AIDS in Lesotho
context_page_description: HIV/AIDS in Lesotho constitutes a very serious threat to the Basotho people and Lesotho's economic development. Since its initial detection in 1986, HIV/AIDS has spread at alarming rates in Lesotho. In 2000, King Letsie III declared HIV/AIDS a natural disaster. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in 2016, Lesotho's adult prevalence rate of 25% is the second highest in the world, following Eswatini.
  HIV has affected the majority of the general population, while disproportionately affecting the rural, working-age population. The spread of HIV in Lesotho is compounded by cultural practices, serodiscordancy, and gender-based violence. Lack of developed sexual education programs in schools places the young demographic at increased risk of HIV infection.
  Over the past three decades, the Government of Lesotho, in collaboration with global organizations such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, World Health Organization, and President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has dramatically improved HIV testing and treatment coverage through comprehensive program implementation.
context_section_description: HIV/AIDS in Lesotho constitutes a very serious threat to the Basotho people and Lesotho's economic development. Since its initial detection in 1986, HIV/AIDS has spread at alarming rates in Lesotho. In 2000, King Letsie III declared HIV/AIDS a natural disaster. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2016, Lesotho's adult prevalence rate of 25% is the second highest in the world, following Eswatini.
  HIV has affected the majority of the general population, while disproportionately affecting the rural, working-age population. The spread of HIV in Lesotho is compounded by cultural practices, serodiscordancy, and gender-based violence. Lack of developed sexual education programs in schools places the young demographic at increased risk of HIV infection.
  Over the past three decades, the Government of Lesotho, in collaboration with global organizations such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), World Health Organization (WHO), and President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has dramatically improved HIV testing and treatment coverage through comprehensive program implementation. However, high levels of poverty, inequality, and stigma towards HIV remain major barriers to HIV prevention in Lesotho. As such, Lesotho seeks financial aid and guidance in program reform from its neighbor South Africa, which, despite having the highest number of people living with HIV in the world, has dramatically reduced costs of HIV prevention efforts in the past decade.
caption: Estimated HIV infection rates in Africa (% of population aged 15–49) show highest prevalence in Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, and Botswana in 2011. (World Bank)      over 15%  5-15%  2-5%  1-2%  0.5-1%  0.1-0.5%  not available