adminCatherine Murombedzi
THERE is a worrisome trend as more youths report secretly seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections from traditional healers.
Cases of syphilis and gonorrhoea are now prevalent among some of the school-going children. They are also reporting for treatment with genital ulcers, pelvic inflammation and vaginal discharges.
Genital ulcers can lead to herpes and pelvic inflammation.
At a workshop on STIs and Aids held last year by the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association (ZINPA), traditional healers, said they were shocked by the number of school children who visited them in the night seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
Speaker after speaker chronicled how school children, some as young as 12 were secretly seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections from their members.
ZINPA president, Sekuru Friday Chisanyu, said the number of school children seeking treatment for STIs was rising at an alarming rate.
“The reports l am receiving from ZINPA members regarding the prevalence of STIs in school children are shocking to say the least. It is clear that the number of school children who are contracting STIs is increasing. As I am speaking right now, we are now compiling the figures so that we can come up with accurate information,” said Sekuru Chisanyu.
Sekuru Chisanyu said the majority of the school children seek treatment very late and with serious health complications and barrenness in future.
“The majority of the school children only seek treatment when they are at an advanced stage which leads to some serious health complications and even barrenness in future when they want to have children,” he said.
Sekuru Chisanyu went on to say school children preferred visiting traditional healers to clinics since traditional healers offer their services in privacy.
“School children prefer seeking treatment from us as we offer our services in privacy. We ask them why they have not visited clinics and they tell us that they have been there and have faced ridicule or have even been asked to bring their parents or their sexual partners so that they are treated together,” Sekuru Chisanyu added.
Sekuru Chisanyu said they treated their clients in privacy and offered counseling services all at a negotiable price.
“Besides us offering less expensive services as compared to health facilities we offer our services in privacy and counsel the client as well,” he said.
Sekuru Chisanyu said most of the girls said they were afraid of falling pregnant than contracting STIs and HIV.
“Some of the children are using contraceptive pills because they are afraid of falling pregnant. This, however, does not protect them from getting sexually transmitted infections,” he added.
A participant at the workshop, Mbuya Erika Mashayamombe, aired her views and blamed peer pressure for the risky behaviour that they children engaged in.
“We hear that our children now attend nude parties and are into sexually encounters with men old enough to be their fathers. Inter-generational sex sees the youths failing to negotiate for safe sex as the one paying sets the rules of the game,” she said.
The traditional medical practitioners called for a stakeholder meeting to be held urgently.
“As traditional healers, we are calling on all stakeholders to come together to fight this disturbing trend. It is our responsibility to empower especially the girl child of the dangers of unprotected sex,” Sekuru Chisanyu weighed in.
According to statistics given out by the National Aids Council for the first quarter of 2015 showed that an increasing number of youths were having unprotected sex.
Adolescents accounted for 10 135 cases of HIV incidence and this was recorded in Harare. Masvingo followed with 8 166.
Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination (SAfAids) in a television programme said that this year they were focusing on adolescents.
“We are focusing on adolescents in 2016 and together with our stakeholders and the parent ministry will have a workable programme to address the challenges these youths face,” Tariro Makanga-Chikumbirike, SAfAids head of communications said.
This shows that the country is sitting on a health time bomb which needs to be addressed with the urgency it deserves.
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