adminAs the country gears for the continental commemorations of the World Aids Day tomorrow in Victoria Falls under the theme “Getting to Zero in Africa – Africa’s Responsibility, Everyone’s Responsibility”, we believe it is an opportune moment to reflect on the triumphs and challenges we have encountered as a nation.
Zimbabwe becomes the third country on the continent to play host to such a big event. Rwanda and South Sudan held the event in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Zimbabwe was chosen to be host of the high level meeting for its exemplary initiative of domestic financing in the fight against the HIV and Aids epidemic.
Setting up a trust fund, the Aids Levy, has not only helped the country respond to the HIV pandemic but the country has also shown unique resolve and incredible results, against all odds, in the provision of free antiretroviral drugs to people living with HIV. This has been the country’s most notable success in championing the fight against this deadly virus.
Researchers have cited Zimbabwe as a success story in the fight against HIV/Aids and studies have been conducted to assess how the country has managed to see a huge reduction in prevalence. Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence fell by 13 percent between 1997 and 2007, a decline too steep to be attributed solely to HIV’s natural progression and a hint that something else was forming a crucial part of the HIV reduction equation, said lead author and Harvard University Public Health lecturer Daniel Halperin. Success in the fight against the disease has been attributed to behaviour change.
We view social change as a powerful tool in dealing with HIV/ Aids. Further statistics show that the number of adults who died went down from 50 230 in 2012 to 49 605 in 2013. Health officials have attributed these decreases to various efforts being implemented which include a successful ARV programme for both adults and children.
However, the rising cases of sexually transmitted infections remain a challenge and might threaten the gains the country has made so far.
The number of people treated for sexually transmitted infections continues to increase in contrast with the trend of a decline in new HIV infections. Institutions of Higher and Tertiary education have the highest rate of new infections.
Poverty, peer pressure and drug abuse have been noted as some of the factors contributing to such high levels at tertiary institutions. We have noted that there seems to be a growing resistance to condom use by young people. It is our hope that as experts and health officials from the continent meet in Victoria Falls, they will have an opportunity to share notes on effective strategies to deal a blow to the pandemic from many facets.
Limited access to CD4 count machines has also been raised as another major challenge faced by the country. Shortages of CD4 machines result in patients’ failure to access treatment or having to travel to far away places to have their viral load tested before being initiated into ART.
We feel that the country should invest in this equipment and make sure that the equipment is at various places around the country. Besides all this the challenge still remains with us as people. The issue of stigma and discrimination continues to impede Government’s efforts in fighting the virus.
Reports show that about 11 000 people who were tested for HIV since last year have chickened out from collecting their results. Fear of being judged by society remains a major challenge. When people hear that a person is HIV positive, they rush to align that with promiscuity when there are a number of ways that a person can get infected. It is saddening to hear the so-called “educated” masses proclaim that I would rather die than live with Aids and all this is a sign of ignorance.
There are other diseases that have led to higher deaths and are deadlier than HIV and there is no reason for people to be discriminated on account of their status. It is important for people to understand that an HIV-positive person can live a long and healthy life. Our being host of the continental commemorations should help dispel some of the warped notions since we were chosen in recognition of our sterling efforts in fighting the pandemic largely with our own resources.
We would like to urge Zimbabweans not to be complacent since the threat of infection remains real hence the need to abstain where possible or use protection where the former fails. It is not about statistics, it is about human life and the devastation that the disease visits upon an economy should we act in a business-as-usual approach. It is a shared responsibility, where everybody should stand up and be counted.
Online Reporter