The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
1 December 2009
Today is World Aids Day, and Tanzania joins other countries in marking this important day adopted by the United Nations to rally members of the international community in efforts to combat the HIV/Aids scourge.
Since 1988, when it was marked for the first time, World Aids Day has remained an important event in the world calendar, with a rallying call every year revolving around major themes like fundraising, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education.
The world has made significant strides in fighting the spread of Aids, which every year kills millions of people, many of them in underdeveloped and developing poor countries. Progress in the search for a vaccine or cure is encouraging, although a major breakthrough still seems to be a long way off.
A UN report released ahead of today's occasion points to a significant drop in the number reported new cases of HIV infection globally. The rate of infection has over the last eight years fallen by an average of 17 per cent globally, and 15 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, which is the world's worst affected region.
The drop in infections is attributed to, among other factors, increased efforts in public education and general sensitisation. It is no longer uncommon, for instance, for families to engage openly in discussions about Aids while those exposed to risky situations that could fuel new infections are now acting more responsibly and protecting themselves.
The struggle is, however, far from being won, and it is important that everyone play their part to reduce infection rates even further.
This year's World Aids Day theme is Universal Access and Human Rights. It is both a relevant and timely clarion call to countries like Tanzania, which are still struggling to contain HIV/Aids and its effects almost three decades since the first Aids case was reported in this part of Africa. The theme also reflects recent developments in the global war on HIV/Aids.
In Tanzania, great strides have been made in recent years in access to HIV diagnosis, treatment and care, but a lot more still needs to be done.
Sensitisation programmes are yielding positive results, with the number of people volunteering to be tested for HIV having increased significantly since President Jakaya Kikwete launched the national testing campaign in 2007. The national infection rate has also dropped to about 5 per cent from a high of 14 per cent five years ago.
However, all this could be lost if access to HIV treatment and care is not expanded and the problem of stigmatisation of people living with HIV/Aids not dealt with conclusively.
Tanzania is an expansive country with a woefully inadequate healthcare system. This means that voluntary counselling and testing centres (VCTs) are still minimal in number, and the distribution of life prolonging to all those who need them most still poor.
The matter has not been helped by an acute shortage of medical personnel that currently stands at about 68 per cent. It is thus not surprising that disadvantaged rural areas currently lead in the number of new HIV/Aids cases.
Stigmatisation is another problem that we need to overcome if we are to make more advances. Having HIV does not make people less human, and this discrimination should not be tolerated.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
