Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central
THE National Aids Council (Nac) has intensified behaviour change programmes in hot spot areas such as mining and farming communities in its fight against HIV and Aids in the country.
In an interview on the side-lines of a media tour at Jumo Mine in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central yesterday, Nac communications officer Mrs Tadiwa Nyatanga-Pfupa said there has been a surge in new HIV infections and sexually transmitted infections in key populations that include mining, farming communities, sex workers and truck drivers.
“As Nac we have these programmes that have been there but are just being intensified to instil a sense of behaviour change in key populations which include sex workers, truck drivers, farming and mining communities. We are advocating for condom use and HIV testing because we are saying everyone must know his/her status,” she said.
“Farming communities have been found to be hot spots for early childhood marriages, farm workers change sexual partners easily and they engage in unprotected sex without knowing their HIV status which drives the rate of new infections and STIs.”
Mrs Nyatanga-Pfupa said the rate of positivity was high in key populations due to unavailability of medication.
She said another contributory factor is that health centres tend to be far from mining and farming communities.
“Mining and farming workers, when they get time off from work tend to relax at home and fail to travel to health centres for assistance. This is because the health centres are also far and it is a put off to people in need of any health attention.
“So as Nac, we discussed with our partners and agreed on the need to intensify programmes which include mobile HIV counselling and testing and treatment as well, voluntary medical male circumcision, family planning services and cancer screening for women during outreach programmes we are having,” she said.
Mrs Nyatanga-Pfupa said Community Anti Retro Viral drugs refill groups were also increasing across the country as people living with HIV and Aids who are on ART are coming together in the fight against stigmatisation.
“We have also intensified programmes with faith-based organisations working with UDACIZA (Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa) which is the umbrella body for the white garments sect.
“So we have managed to penetrate the white garments sect as evidenced by the increase in members of that sect coming for HIV testing among other outreach programmes which we are offering with our partners,” she said.
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