The Sunday News
BULAWAYO has been making significant progress in containing STI cases, with statistics from the National Aids Council (NAC), for the first three quarters of 2014, showing a decrease in the number of infections recorded in the city, while Manicaland Province recorded a 146 percent increase in STI cases.
The data also shows that the city generally recorded fewer cases of STIs compared to other provinces, with Harare recording the highest number of cases.
Data from the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first two quarters of 2015 was not immediately available.
Available information shows that the country recorded 203 921 cases of STIs in 2014 down from 277 708 cases recorded in 2013, with the decrease being attributed to change in sexual behaviour in most parts of the country.
Matabeleland North and South provinces also recorded fewer cases of STIs compared to other provinces.
In the first quarter of 2014 Bulawayo recorded 3 333 STI infections with the number going down to 2 409 in the second quarter before further declining to 1 854 in the third quarter.
This accounted for a 44 percent decrease in STI cases in Bulawayo, while Harare recorded a 13 percent increase in infections during the three quarters under review.
The capital city recorded 9 760 cases in the first quarter and the figure increased to 10 193 in the second quarter before soaring to 11 270 in the third quarter.
During the period under review Bulawayo recorded 7 596 cases to rank as the province with the second least cases of STIs after Matabeleland North Province which recorded 5 640, while Matabeleland South province had the third least number of infections after recording 7 983 cases.
Harare, which is proving to be the country’s STI hotbed recorded 31 223 cases.
National Aids Council communications officer Mrs Tadiwa Pfupa said the decrease in STI cases in Bulawayo was a result of increased intervention efforts by NAC and its partners in light of the city’s risky sex behaviour particularly among the 51 to 24 years age group.
“The figures are generally high in Bulawayo during the first quarter mainly because of injiva who would have come back home for the festive season. The figures will go down as the year progresses.
“However, the decreasing trend in STI cases is mainly because of deliberate intensive efforts we have made in Bulawayo to encourage behaviour change, especially among those aged between 15 and 24 years.
“For Matabeleland North and South the cases are fewer because most sexually active people are in the productive age group who migrate to South Africa. Most women in those provinces are without men because most of the men have migrated to South Africa and Botswana,” she said.
On Harare and other provinces that were recording high STI cases, Mrs Pfupa said NAC was intensifying intervention efforts to curb the infections.
“For Harare you will find out that the cases are higher mainly because of the population as well as the fact that some people who seek treatment there may not necessarily be from Harare.
“Harare being Harare, there is high activity 24 hours a day and that may also contribute to more cases being recorded there. We are, however, intensifying our intervention efforts in Harare and other areas that are generally recording high cases of STIs.”
Masvingo, despite recording a nine percent decrease in STI cases, had the second most cases of infections, 21 766, during the three quarters under review followed by Midlands Province which recorded 15 877 cases.
Mashonaland West Province had the fourth highest number of cases after recording 14 867 STIs with Manicaland Province ranking fifth with 14 809 cases.
Mashonaland East recorded 13 092 cases while Mashonaland Central had 10 418 infections.
The data also shows that the highest number of STIs were recorded among the 25-49 age group which accounted for 63 percent of the new STI clients treated in 2014.
