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IN our Saturday edition, we carried a disturbing story on the increasing incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Harare at a time various stakeholders are putting shoulders to the wheel to fight the scourge of HIV and Aids.
Despite having a ruinous economic sanctions regime that curtailed Government’s capacity to fund the social services sector, Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in Africa that have scored successes in the fight against the HIV and Aids pandemic on the back of the innovative AIDS Levy.
This success, however, can be easily reversed by the surge of STIs reported in Harare that stand at over 53 000 new cases within the first six months of this year.
This figure could be much higher since some men seek treatment from private hospitals and doctors, or use traditional concoctions.
While we know and admit that Harare is not Zimbabwe, there is nothing to suggest that this trend, which points to the prevalence of unprotected sex, is not replicated in other provinces.
A disconcerting prospect indeed, and a challenge for researchers to tackle.
What is even more worrying is the intrinsic link between STIs and HIV infection.
Studies have proved that testing and treatment of STIs is an effective tool in preventing the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. An understanding of the relationship between STIs and HIV infection also helps in the development of effective HIV prevention programmes.
People infected with STIs are at least two to five times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire HIV if they are exposed to the virus through sexual contact. In addition, if an HIV-infected individual is also infected with another STI, such a person is more likely to transmit HIV through sexual contact than other HIV-infected persons.
Clinical evidence abounds that the presence of STIs increases the likelihood of transmitting and acquiring HIV through: Firstly, increased susceptibility where lacerations and inflammation of the genital lining create entry points for HIV; secondly, studies have also shown that sero-positive people with STIs are particularly likely to shed HIV in their genital secretions. For example, men who are infected with both gonorrhea and HIV are more than twice as likely to have HIV in their genital secretions than are those who are infected only with HIV.
From the foregoing, it is evident that strong STI prevention, testing and treatment is vital for the comprehensive prevention of the sexual transmission of HIV. STI trends also offer vital insights into HIV hotspots, making STI surveillance data integral in forecasting where HIV rates are likely to increase.
Better linkages are thus needed between HIV and STI prevention efforts nationwide in order to prevent and control both epidemics.
Online Reporter