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Our sister paper, Sunday News, yesterday reported that a record 990 022 people were tested for HIV last year compared to 837 789 in 2010, an indication that more people were now keen to know their status.
Also, the National Aids Council figures quoted in the article reveal that of the 990 022 people who got tested, 798 972 tested negative with the positive results representing 19,2 percent of the total tested, a decrease from 23,9 in 2010, and 30 percent in 2009.
Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate stands at 14,26 percent.
We would like to applaud Zimbabweans for their bold step to go for testing for HIV. This is a major step that is quite crucial for anyone, whether they test positive or not, and it should be borne in mind that there are other steps to take thereafter.
Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Henry Madzorera said it was important for people to get tested since the timing of when a person tests positive for HIV has an impact on how successful their treatment would be.
“HIV testing is very important because it allows you to get treatment early and early treatment saves lives. Over the years, the number of people who are dying of Aids and Aids-related diseases has gone down due to the advent of ARVs. Only a small percentage of people are dying of Aids lately and I feel those deaths could have been avoided had they been diagnosed and put on treatment early,” said Dr Madzorera.
The major weapon at our disposal against HIV and Aids is behaviour change, that involves abstinence, faithfulness to one uninfected partner and the use of condoms by sexual partners to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
For those who would have tested negative to the virus, it is important to guard that status jealously by sticking to an uninfected partner or using condoms. It is quite unfortunate that there are some people who lead reckless lives in terms of their sexual habits, with some under the belief that they were already infected when they are still uninfected. However, the fear of testing has seen many such people eventually getting infected and it is our hope that all sexually active adults take that major step and go for testing so that they better plan their lives knowing exactly where they stand.
On the other hand, those that test positive to the virus and discover that status early can lead normal lives through early intervention and dietary discipline to improve their immunity. By knowing one’s positive status, the person is empowered since they could then go for regular checks to monitor the progress of the virus so that doctors can recommend the best intervention. And it is not everyone that has to be put on anti-retroviral drugs, since those whose immunity is still quite strong can live for years before taking the drugs.
However, such information will be availed largely to those that go for voluntary testing and it is our plea to everyone to know their status so that they can get help early. HIV and Aids used to be a distant and almost mysterious condition decades ago, but the fact that everyone has been affected by the disease one way or another, it no longer has that stigma. In fact, it is now odd for people to be secretive about their condition and shun treatment when so many patients speak so openly about their condition and live even better lives than some uninfected in the community.
Those who are undecided about testing should think about how their decision to test or not to test could affect their children, their immediate relatives, their businesses, their partners and ultimately their society and the economy of this country. Knowing one’s status improves one’s quality of life hence there is no reason why one should settle for anything less.