The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporter
THE National Aids Council (NAC) has introduced a family-centred approach to HIV testing and counselling, in an effort to encourage people of all age groups to know their HIV status, and increase the number of people on anti-retroviral treatment countrywide.Family-centred HIV testing and counselling encourages parents to visit their nearest health centres together with their children to get tested for the virus as well as access counselling services.
The approach has received support from analysts and HIV activists who described the move as a positive step towards holistic and inclusive HIV programming.
National Aids Council communications officer, Mrs Tadiwa Pfupa, told Sunday News last week that the approach was born out of the realisation that children were not heavily involved in testing and counselling activities, resulting in late diagnosis and late commencement of treatment.
Mrs Pfupa said the approach was also aimed at encouraging men to get tested for HIV since it has been established that men were generally reluctant to undergo HIV testing, preferring to assume their status basing on their partners’ results.
According to the recent Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, 36 percent of men and 57 percent of women have never been tested for HIV and received an HIV test result, an indication of men’s reluctance to know their status.
Mrs Pfupa said the family centred approach was one of NAC’s many strategies designed to have at least 90 percent of the country’s population knowing their status by 2020. Other strategies include the immunisation and growth monitoring of children as a way of identifying HIV exposed children and Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC).
“With this approach, parents are encouraged to present themselves and their children for testing at their nearest health centre. Mobile teams are currently moving around the country providing testing and counselling services.
“All these activities are efforts towards the attainment of the UNAids treatment target. According to the target, by the year 2020, 90 percent of our population must know their HIV status; 90 percent of those who are HIV positive must have access to treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment must have their viral load undetectable,” she said.
HIV activist and director of the Reverend Max and Friends Foundation, Reverend Maxwell Kapachawo said HIV programming in the country had always overlooked children and the move by NAC was a positive one in catering for children’s needs in HIV programming.
“For a long time we had not looked at children as people who were directly affected by HIV or living with the virus. As such little attention in terms of programming was paid to children. The family centred approach in my view is holistic and will see us achieving the various targets on fighting HIV,” he said.
Rev Kapachawo’s sentiments were echoed by National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (Nango) Midlands regional co-ordinator, Mrs Vimbai Nhutsve-Musengi, who said encouraging families to get tested as a unit would go a long way in fighting stigma and encouraging disclosure of status by people who test positive.
“There has always been problems to do with disclosure, acceptance and adherence to treatment and such an approach will help in dealing with such challenges. It’s better for children to know their parents’ status as this will help in fighting stigma that is always associated with HIV.
“If children also know their status early it’s an advantage as this will assist them to get early treatment. I think the approach is quite plausible,” she said.
About 1,3 million people are living with HIV nationwide, and about 800 000 of those are receiving anti-retroviral treatment.
In the past four years the country has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of people on anti-retroviral therapy with about 60 percent of people receiving treatment being women, while the remaining 40 percent are men and children.
Mrs Pfupa said NAC, in keeping with its mandate, would continue to support the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC) with procurements of various medicines and equipment in efforts to eradicate Aids by 2030.
Meanwhile, preparations for this year’s continental World Aids Day commemorations on 1 December have gathered pace with Mrs Pfupa saying all was set for the successful holding of the event in Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe becomes the third country in the continent to play host to such a big event after Rwanda and South Sudan in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
The event comes at a time when the country is expanding its ART programme through decentralisation and outreach services in an effort to bring treatment closer to all those in need.
“The venue for this event is the Elephant Hills Resort Golf Course, Victoria Falls, in Matabeleland North Province. Top Zimbabwean and African officials are expected to officiate. At least 47 member states in the African Union are expected to attend.
“Preparations for the event are going on well and most countries within the union have confirmed their attendance,” she said.
The commemorations will be held under the theme: “Getting to Zero in Africa-Africa’s Responsibility, Everyone’s Responsibility”, which resonates with the global theme for 2012 to 2015 which says “Getting to Zero-Zero new HIV infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero Aids-Related deaths”.
