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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
BULAWAYO province has the highest number of HIV discordant couples in the country with 12 percent of the city’s HIV negative people having positive spouses, a survey has revealed.

The Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey revealed that the provincial figure surpasses the national average of five percent.

Discordant couples are people in relationships where one partner is HIV-infected and the other is not, with a couple being defined as two persons in an ongoing sexual relationship.

Bulawayo is followed by its neighbouring provinces, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South that each recorded an average of six percent HIV discordant couples.

Manicaland province has the least discordant couples at 2,8 percent, while Harare stands at 5,3 percent.

“The province with the highest percentage of couples in which the man is positive and the woman is negative is Bulawayo with 11,9 percent of couples,” reads the ZDHS report.

Experts yesterday said discordant couples should both be on anti-retroviral treatment to reduce the chances of the one who is negative contracting HIV.

National Aids Council (Nac) Bulawayo Provincial Aids coordinator Mrs Sinatra Nyathi said research was still being conducted to establish how one can be negative while being intimate with a positive partner.

She said a person who is HIV negative and is in a relationship with someone who is HIV positive should start antiretroviral drugs immediately.

“Being in a discordant relationship puts one of the couples at the risk of contracting HIV. This is why the policy allows the negative partner to access anti-retroviral treatment,” said Mrs Nyathi.

She said they have, however, noted that negative partners shun taking medication, increasing their chances of contracting HIV.

Zimbabwe National Network for People Living with HIV/Aids (ZNNP+) nation chairman Mr Sebastian Chinhaire said HIV discordant couples should condomise to prevent infecting each other with the virus.

He said strict adherence to treatment reduces the viral load to the extent that it becomes undetectable hence reducing the chances of infecting a negative partner.

“We encourage discordant couples to use condoms every time they indulge in sexual intercourse.

“But we know married couples do not continuously condomise so not defaulting can play a major role in reducing the chances of the other partner contracting HIV,” he said.

@nqotshili