adminPatrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU and Kwekwe have the highest HIV prevalence rate in the Midlands, an official from the National Aids Council (Nac), has said. Addressing provincial heads at a Nac update meeting in Redcliff on Tuesday, the council’s Midlands province coordinator, Mambewu Shumba, said HIV was most rife in people aged between 15 and 49 years.
“By district in the province, Gweru and Kwekwe have the highest HIV prevalence in the province. According to the hot -spot mapping done recently in terms of HIV prevalence, Gweru and Kwekwe were leading and this is worrying,” he said.
“Gweru has 19,9 percent, Kwekwe 17,5 percent, Shurugwi, 17 percent, Chirumanzu 16,4 percent, Zvishavane, 14,4 percent, Mberengwa 13,5percent, Gokwe South 10percent and Gokwe North 5,6percent HIV prevalence,” he said.
“Gokwe HIV prevalence is low and we are conducting a study to establish the reason for such a positive development.”
He said the Midlands province was at the heart of the country making it accessible to travellers.
Shumba said at the same time there was a surge in mining activities and the existence of companies in need of trucks which attracts truckers who in-turn engage commercial sex workers.
He said the emergence of state universities, vocational training centres and colleges in the Midlands province had also led to a surge in people indulging in risky sexual behaviour.
At the same time, he said: “The uptake of emergency contraception, often called the morning-after pill or day-after pill is at its highest when the tertiary institutions in the province are open.”
Shumba said increased use of the pill showed condoms were rarely used during intercourse, adding that students seemed to fear getting pregnant more than contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
“Pharmacies in Gweru, Kwekwe and Zvishavane run out of morning-after pills especially when the universities and colleges are open. This therefore means we have to embark on more awareness programmes to teach the students on the risks of engaging in unprotected sex,” he said.
He said the province was going to receive about $400,000 for HIV and AIDS response programmes from the projected national budget of $34 million.
“The government and its partners are working on bringing HIV epidemic under control so that it no longer represents a public health threat to any population. In this light by 2030, there should be 90 percent reduction in new infections, 90 percent reduction in stigma and discrimination and 90 percent reduction in AIDS related deaths,” he said.
Online Reporter