Zimpapers Logo

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Health Reporter
Nowadays people living with HIV can live normal lives without looking or feeling sick, says Miss Yvette Mujeyi of Marondera, Mashonaland East, who has been openly living with the global pandemic for the past 22 years.

She is part of the thousands who recently took to Twitter and openly shared with the world how they have been living with one of the world’s most dreaded diseases.

Through #NormalisingHIVChallenge, Miss Mujeyi accepted the challenge and told the world that ARV drugs are her “daily sweets”.

While millions have used Twitter hashtags and other social media platforms for comic relief, she opted to fight the prevalent stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

Hundreds of people worldwide have posted under the hashtag.

Each post was accompanied by a picture, name, age, location, relationship status, number of children one has, type of work they do, number of years on ARV treatment and if they have reached the undetectable stage.

Consistent adherence to ARVs can result in the viral load being undetectable in HIV- positive people which means they cannot transmit the disease to the next person.

Thousands of patients have succumbed in silence, fearing the derogatory label of being called promiscuous and others due to stigma have abandoned the life saving ART which is freely accessible in “high burden” countries like Zimbabwe.

Due to stigma many others shun HIV testing thereby exposing their loved ones to the disease which has left 13 percent of Zimbabweans infected, thousands dead and millions affected.

Zimbabwe detected its first HIV case around the mid-1980s and by then prevalence was estimated to be around 24 percent.

Miss Mujeyi was born when many mothers had no access to prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) to ensure that babies are protected from HIV.

She says though life had been sorrowful due to stigma, she is grateful to be living at a time where ART is free and there are many preventive methods that have been proved to reduce the contraction and transmission of HIV.

“I was born with and I live with HIV, a situation which has its advantages and disadvantages in Zimbabwe. Firstly, I am grateful to be alive in this generation where we have free access to ART, I do not need to spend money or go to a private hospital as the medication is free for everyone to use, its such a blessing,” she says.

According to Miss Mujeyi, who is a trained counsellor and social media HIV advocate for youths, Zimbabweans should take advantage of free ART and more knowledge about HIV that abounds nowadays, through getting tested.

“We still face a lot of stigma as we have some characters who still label people with HIV as promiscuous not knowing that some of us were just victims of circumstances beyond our control.”

She says getting into a serious relationship while suffering stigma has been one of her greatest challenges.

“I do have support from family and friends but I have struggled to be in a serious relationship with someone who accepts my status and values me as a normal human being. Once you open up people are quick to throw the promiscuous tantrum or view you as someone so vulnerable that you are in need of some handouts and money,” she adds.

For Miss Mujeyi, who also volunteers for the National Aids Council (Nac), people living with HIV should be as free as those with other ailments.

“HIV is no longer a death sentence and I encourage people to open up and take pride in taking their ARVs. We will not be able to end HIV by 2030 if we have people who still will not get tested for HIV fearing stigma because the change we need begins with you and me.”

One of the #NormalisingHIVChallange participants Mr Prince Ganyange from Bulawayo said the challenge was necessary as it was going to inspire others to come out in the open about their HIV status.

He said he was diagnosed in 2014 and was in a relationship.

For Mr Luckmore Pamhidzai, HIV is in the blood hence there is no shame in living with it as it can be treated by adhering to ART.

He says he got tested in 2008 when he developed an opportunistic infection called Herpes Zoster.

“When I went to the hospital for treatment, the health care worker referred me for HIV testing and that is when I started knowing about my status. An HIV positive result written down with a red pen in particular for a child with low comprehensive knowledge about HIV was something very difficult to handle. Counselling was not done properly and the only words that I was told after being given results were ‘go outside and have some fresh air’,” he says.

Mr Pamhidzai says knowing his status resulted in emotional and social challenges as he lost hope and thought he would not last for more than 10 years.

“Hearing what people say about HIV and some funny names (aripabhazi, ane muzvezve, akatsikwa nenzou) made it worse. All these feelings and thoughts also affected my ART adherence. I saw no reason for taking treatment because I felt like I was a social misfit or an outcast.”

Twelve years down the road, he is openly living with HIV and inspiring his peers to condomise, stay safe and adhere to ART. -@thamamoe