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Zimbabwe has made great strides in the fight against HIV/Aids and credit goes to its many intervention programmes. The country is among the first on the African continent to introduce an Aids levy specifically to fund programmes to fight the pandemic.
The levy has enabled government to fund many intervention programmes as well as provide anti-retroviral drugs to thousands of people already infected. The challenge of mother-to child transmission has been greatly reduced as pregnant women are tested and those found to be HIV positive are then put on treatment to prevent mother to child transmission. The few children born positive are quickly put on treatment and this has gone a long way in reducing child mortality rate.
Non-governmental organisations are complementing government efforts to fight HIV/Aids by running different programmes to prevent the spread of the virus. These organisations have also put thousands of people already infected by the virus on anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
Some of the organisations are not just providing drugs but are empowering people living with HIV/Aids through funding their income generating projects such as market gardening, poultry, sewing, carpentry and many other such projects. Those that are already sick are being assisted through home-based care programmes.
These many positives that the country has recorded over the years should be supported by behaviour change and attitudes. It is a fact that in most cases the virus is transmitted through sex so those who are promiscuous are at high risk of contracting the virus.
It is therefore important for those that have multiple sex partners to ensure they engage in safe sex by using condoms. We have already alluded to the fact that Zimbabwe has made great strides in the fight against the Aids scourge but the country is lagging behind in the area of voluntary testing and counselling.
Thousands of Zimbabweans are still reluctant to go for voluntary testing and counselling despite the fact that these services are readily available in both urban and rural areas. In countries such as Uganda the issue of being tested for HIV is no longer a big deal as people there have accepted that Aids is just like any other disease.
In Zimbabwe Aids has been stigmatised because it is associated with promiscuity. People who are HIV positive are frowned upon by society and as such are regarded as outcasts who should be punished for their bad past. People that are HIV positive are as a result of this stigma reluctant to go public hence many of them are spreading the virus.
What is however encouraging is that many women are reported to be coming forward for HIV testing. According to officials involved in the national HIV testing pilot project that was launched last October, more women are coming forward for testing compared to men.
The Zimbabwe Population based HIV Impact Assessment (Zimphia) tests participants for syphilis, HIV viral load and CD4 count in the comfort of their homes. According to the Strategic Information Coordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Mutsa Mhangura, more women are taking part in the pilot project compared to men. He said even in terms of people’s health seeking behaviour, women tend to seek treatment earlier than men.
The thrust now should be to make both men and women appreciate the importance of knowing their HIV status. It serves no purpose for women to go for testing while leaving their husbands at home. It is the responsibility of both men and women to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.