14 May 2008
Ndola — THE Network of Zambian People Living with AIDS ( NZP+) in Masaiti has bemoaned the high divorce rate, prostitution and the heavy dependence on traditional healers which have continued to frustrate the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Programme officer, Patson Mwanabumbi said yesterday during the on-going Masaiti District Agriculture and Commercial Show, that the fight against HIV/AIDS was being jeopardised by the high rate of self stigma and outside stigma.
"Masaiti has a very high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate and the sad thing about this situation is that the scourge has not spared those who are under the age of five and those above the age of 70 purely due to ignorance in an area which has a few isolated health facilities," he said.
He said most people were being forced to use the services of untrained traditional birth attendants who had no knowledge about handling the Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV/AIDS while some aged care givers were being infected with the virus due to ignorance in the manner they were handling some patients living with the disease.
Mr Mwanabumbi said the area had one health facility, Ibenga Mission Hospital, which was situated in the neighbouring Mpongwe district.
Out of 24 rural health centres only five provided Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
He said his organisation was now engaged in a special sensitisation programme in which traditional healers were being urged to send all their patients with some symptoms of HIV/AIDS and TB to rural health centres for diagnosis.
Mr Mwanabumbi said that Masaiti NZP+ was now slowly establishing clubs of persons living with HIV/AIDS under extreme difficulties.
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