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The Herald, 2 June 2015
HIV and Aids remain a major challenge in the country, especially in the uniformed forces, the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant-General Philip Valerio Sibanda during the opening of the Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces (ZUF) health conference here, Gen Chiwenga said the HIV and Aids scourge had wreaked havoc among communities, including the armed forces.
“During the 1990s to 2004 we saw the pandemic taking its toll, but the ZUF scored many successes in addressing the scourge through formulation of strategies such as male circumcision,” said Gen Chiwenga.
He said the uniformed forces had contributed 25 percent of the national total of men circumcised as a preventive measure.
“Allow me to state that as we all know, the HIV and Aids scourge cuts into the size and quality of the work force and has become increasingly discouraging to business and economic policy makers,” said Gen Chiwenga.
“The pandemic makes the cost of doing business more expensive while at the same time lowering workers’ productivity and decreases overall demand for goods and services.”
Gen Chiwenga said HIV and Aids resulted in absenteeism, a rise in child-headed households and an increase in child labour as adults become sick and eventually die.
“In the face of HIV and Aids, the country is expected to lose the benefit of the money invested in training people and in the salaries and wages of workers on sick leave or away on Aids-related leave,” he said.
Gen Chiwenga said there was need for massive mobilisation of society to combat the aids scourge.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Zimbabwe joined the international community in commemorating World Aids Day — a day for reflection and celebrating the milestones achieved in the fight against the epidemic that has claimed millions of lives globally, and left many families devastated.
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Chiwenga buttressed this in his clarion call for vigilance against opportunistic viruses: “Lives have been lost, ways of life have been altered, geography, social and economic spaces have all been altered too. In addition to this, Covid-19 has been a major wake-up call to all health delivery systems . . . The commemoration serves as both a national and local platform for the unity of nations to remember those that have died due to Aids and reflect on the progress we have recorded in 2020 in responding to the pandemic as well as we dedicate ourselves to revitalising the response and change its trajectory towards ending Aids by 2030.”
Almost 40 years ago, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that leads to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids) pandemic was discovered, although historical sources point to earlier dates of the existence of HIV.
This affected global communities, irrespective of race, colour, creed, religious affiliation and social standing. Zimbabwe was not spared.
The country has worked with the UN and other development partners to ensure that challenges brought about by the Aids epidemic, are holistically addressed.
According to WHO, by 2018, 32 million people had died of HIV and Aids since the beginning of the epidemic.
Although there is no cure yet for Aids, the open access to antiretroviral therapy has immensely lowered HIV-related illnesses and deaths.
The greatest reversal has been experienced in sub-Saharan Africa, where by the year 2000, HIV was the leading cause of death.
Online Reporter