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Michell Zvanyanya, Chronicle Reporter

THE National Aids Council (NAC) has expressed concern over the upsurge in cases of people living with HIV in Bulawayo who are defaulting on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) due to religious reasons.

This follows the NAC 2019 statistics report which revealed that about 4 000 people in Bulawayo have discontinued taking their antiretroviral medication primarily due to religion or on their prophets’ orders.

In an interview yesterday, Bulawayo Provincial Aids Co-Ordinator Mrs Sinatra Nyathi said there is an increase in cases where people are misled to stop taking their HIV medication due to religious beliefs. 

She said those on ART should desist from such practices as they compromise their chances of survival.

“When someone is on ART, the ARVs suppress the viral load to stop the virus from continuously multiplying and destroying the immune system. 

“So, if people living with HIV stop taking their medication it means they are allowing the virus to multiply very fast such that it ends up destroying the defence mechanism and blood cells that are responsible for the immune system making them more susceptible to opportunistic infections,” said Mrs Nyathi. 

“We have experienced a challenge where people throw away their medication after going to faith-based organisations where their prophets pray for them. A lot of people have died because of that. We want to focus on campaigning to our people living with HIV and urge them to stop throwing away their medication no matter how much they get prayed for.” 

She said some of the opportunistic infections that primarily affect people living with HIV whenever they default their medication include diarrhoea, Tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia and HIV-related cancers.

Mrs Nyathi said there is a need for people living with HIV to take their medication correctly and consistently to enhance their quality of life.

“We are going to conduct a survey soon at Mpilo Central Hospital to determine the total number of defaulters this year and those that have died. 

“We, however, urge people living with HIV to continue taking their ARVs to improve their quality of life and to enhance their immune system because there is currently no treatment for Aids. We also call on families to support those who are on HIV treatment for them to continue taking their medication,” she said. 

Mrs Nyathi said NAC has embarked on a media campaign in the city to raise awareness on ART adherence as well as to address issues of religion and its role in the management of HIV.

Recently, the UNAIDS 2019 report revealed that Zimbabwe recorded a decrease in new HIV infections from 44 000 to 38 000 cases annually which may also lead to a decline in prevalence.

There are, however, concerns that claims by church leaders to cure HIV and Aids might give rise to HIV drug resistance among other health challenges. – @michellzvanyanyan2