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Tadiwa Nyatanga-Pfupa
When the name Gokwe is mentioned what quickly comes to mind are weird stories of necromancy, witchcraft and many mysterious incidents over and above its perennial drought as well as its backwardness.
The area was created as a dumping site for native Africans during colonialism because it was also the base for the control of the tsetse fly and its associated lethal disease trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
Despite all these beliefs, myths and superstitions the area is always known to be mired by a concoction of challenges emanating from perennial droughts has at last discovered a ray of hope for the entire nation.
As backward as it is, as poor as the people are, as semi-literate and uneducated as some people in the area might be due to inaccessible learning facilities and poor road networking, the nation has something to learn from them. The district has scored big against HIV and Aids.
Gokwe North has the least HIV prevalence in the country which is at two percent and the rate of new incidences is at 0,26 percent. This means one in every 50 people might be HIV-positive.
At one point, National Aids Council (Nac) and its implementing partners visited a certain community and tested 200 people who all were HIV-negative.
This gives the nation a ray of hope that an HIV-free community or generation is achievable.
Gokwe North District Aids Co-ordinator (DAC) Mr Isaki Chiwara said Gokwe North HIV prevalence in Gokwe has remained at two percent for the past few years.
“We have an HIV prevalence rate of two percent in Gokwe North. We also have recorded 0,26 percent new infections. This is mainly due to the fact that people in these areas have a strong and sound cultural background. They respect their norms and values,” he said.
Gokwe North has a population of more than 301 000 which shares 22 health facilities.
This has become a cause for concern for people in the area.
“There are only 22 clinics servicing a population of more than 300 000. We also have mining activities in the area. Artisanal miners usually do not have a health seeking behaviour. Their risk perception is very low. They are mobile and therefore they have become a key population. There are however, a number of intervention strategies tailor made for this particular group,” said Mr Chiwara.
This remarkable achievement comes at a time when the country is pursuing the 90-90-90 goals.
A concept introduced by the United Nation’s programme on HIV/Aids in 2013, 90-90-90 is a set of goals.
The idea is that by 2020, 90 percent of people who are HIV infected will be diagnosed, 90% of people who are diagnosed will be on antiretroviral treatment and 90% of those who receive antiretrovirals will be virally suppressed.
Viral suppression is when a person’s viral load — or the amount of virus in an HIV-positive person’s blood — is reduced to an undetectable level.
The strategy is an attempt to get the HIV epidemic under control and is based on the principle of universal testing and treating. What is central to “test and treat” approaches is that if one can identify people early on in their infection, and start treatment so they become virally suppressed, the onward transmission of HIV will be prevented and this will impact on HIV incidence at a population level.
Zimbabwe could take a leaf from Gokwe North in many of its HIV intervention strategies for it to achieve the 90-90-90 goals.
Online Reporter