STI cases up in Bulawayo

Sifundiso Ndlovu Chronicle Reporter—
BULAWAYO Province has recorded an increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) during the first three months of the year. According to statistics released by the National Aids Council (NAC), 2,838 cases of STIs were reported from January to March last year, a figure which rose to 3,333 this year, an increase of nearly 500 cases.

Bulawayo National Aids Council monitoring and evaluation officer Douglas Moyo said the prevalence of STIs is seasonal.
During the festive season, STI cases shoot up due to “excitement”. There is also an upward trend during winter as people spend most of their time indoors, said Moyo.

“Infections usually peak during Christmas and during winter and gradually decline as the year progress,” Moyo said.
The NAC statistics show that in January last year, 1,051 cases were recorded and the figure went up to 1,280 during the same month this year.

An increase of 278 was also recorded in February this year as 1,057 cases were reported as compared to 779 in the same month last year.
A decline was, however, recorded in March this year as compared to the same period last year, from 1,008 cases to 996.

Matabeleland Aids Council (MAC) nursing counsellor Melusi Ndiweni said the increase in the prevalence of STIs may be attributed to economic pressures where prostitutes allow clients who are prepared to pay more to have unprotected sex.

Social factors where most families are child headed as parents seek “greener pastures” outside the country were also cited.
“Tough economic situations force people to engage in high risk behaviour. Prostitutes for an example allow some clients prepared to pay more to have sexual intercourse without condoms,” Ndiweni said.

MAC programme officer responsible for behavioural change Thomas Jubane said interventions are now targeting prostitutes and pimps so that they become peer educators.

“There is a high uptake of condoms but the continued cases show that either people are failing to use condoms properly or they are not using them at all. So now we are focusing on the sex workers and the pimps to make them peer educators,” he said.

Jubane added that health institutions needed to be youth friendly.
He said a holistic approach focused on youths was needed as most infections were being recorded among them.