MPs’ initiative in HIV and Aids fight spot on

them — did something commendable this week and the nation should applaud them.
On Thursday, the legislators came together under the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against HIV and Aids; a voluntary organisation aimed at promoting awareness and fighting stigma associated with HIV and Aids.
President Mugabe, who officially launched Zipah, urged legislators to lead by example.
As the President said, by virtue of their offices, Members of Parliament are regarded as role models whose power of influence in society is immense.
And as leaders, their message is readily received particularly if it is coupled by exemplary behaviour in the communities they serve.
And we are encouraged by the response from the legislators, as we report elsewhere in this issue, who have decided to under go public HIV and Aids counselling and testing.
More than 170 parliamentarians from across the political divide have resolved to undergo voluntary counselling and HIV testing in a bid to encourage the grassroots to follow suit.
All the 150 male members in the 175-member group have also resolved to be circumcised.
Male circumcision has been proven to reduce HIV transmission by at least 60 percent.
We applaud the MPs for this noble move and urge their constituents to follow their lead.
HIV and Aids are no longer the ‘‘deadly’’ affliction they were deemed to be a few years ago as advances in anti-retroviral therapy have seen many living positively with the virus, just like people with any other conditions that require constant medication.
About 420 000 people are on anti-retroviral drugs while over 1,3 million people are living with HIV in Zimbabwe.
Despite the politicisation of the Global Fund on HIV, Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, we scored enviable success in the fight against the pandemic mainly on the back of increased awareness.
HIV prevalence and incidence have declined remarkably in recent years, dropping from 26 percent to 14 percent between 1997 and 2009.
A recent edition of the journal PLoS Medicine explored the reasons for this decline and examined what lessons can be drawn and replicated.
The study, which was sponsored by UNFPA, UNAids and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, attributed the drop to several key factors — chief among them behaviour change, personal experiences related to high Aids-related mortality and correct information about HIV transmission.
The most significant cause of the decline was attributed to the reduction in multiple sexual partnerships, with a 30 percent fall in men reporting extra-marital relationships.
All this was attributed to the success of HIV prevention programmes, both mass media and those based on inter-personal communication through the church, work-place, friends and family.
Such programmes stressed the prudence of faithfulness to one partner and correct and consistent condom use during casual sex.
We need to build on these successes, and legislators and other leaders in society have a role to play.
We urge all legislators, and former legislators to join Zipah to broaden its reach.
Zipah is an affiliate of the Coalition of African Parliamentarians against HIV and Aids, a pan African network of members of parliament from across the continent who are dedicated to responding to the HIV epidemic and mitigating its impact.
And since membership is also open to councillors, HIV and Aids activists, experts and other relevant institutions as associate members and all other stakeholders should come aboard as well.