MSU students in drug abuse, HIV dilemma

22 Feb, 2015 - 03:02 0 Views
MSU students in drug abuse, HIV dilemma

The Sunday News

DRUG ABUSETHE National Aids Council (NAC) has condemned drug abuse at Midlands State University (MSU), a development that is derailing efforts to curb new HIV infections among students.

A research recently conducted by NAC revealed that higher and tertiary education institutions had the highest number of new HIV infections in the country.

NAC Midlands provincial co-ordinator Mr Mambewu Shumba said his organisation, through investigations, surveys and consultations, had established that there was a high rate of drug and substance abuse at MSU.

He said the abuse was exposing the students to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

“MSU students have a problem in terms of drug and substance abuse which to us as NAC is a cause for concern because it affects one’s behaviour. At the end, many students end up indulging in unprotected sex,” Mr Shumba said.

He said NAC was therefore roping in partners to give information on HIV/Aids, STIs and TB so that the students have adequate information and make correct decisions.

“We have engaged police, Health and Child Care and Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development ministries to conduct joint awareness campaigns against drug abuse to mitigate the situation,” said Mr Shumba.

“We established this through our formal interactions with officials from Midlands State University as well as other people around the institution over the matter. We have also been approached by the institution to sponsor an awareness campaign against drug abuse and other discussions on sexual reproductive health.”

Meanwhile, Mr Shumba said the province has been allocated $500 000 to undertake HIV and Aids programmes.

He said this year’s programmes would be different from the past interventions because they would be conscious of the districts’ specific needs.

“Our 2015 plan is different from the usual because it is district based. Each district has a different type of challenge so the way of responding and the way we are having activities and priorities are different.

“So it is now according to the districts’ needs and priorities,” Mr Shumba said.

MSU was in November last year hit by a glut of hard and prescription drugs which include a deadly cocktail nicknamed “nyaope” — a mixture of marijuana, rat poison, HIV antiretroviral drugs and sometimes heroine.

Police were forced to raid hostels on campus and other houses in Senga and Nehosho high density suburbs in search of the source of the illicit drugs after reports that some female students had allegedly been raped after eating a cake laced with illicit substances.

MSU has about 23 000 students and would be adding another 5 000 if they manage to open a new Mining and Engineering campus in Zvishavane.

NAC has introduced the training of HIV and AIDS focal persons in tertiary institutions to provide technical guidance to students, particularly those in their first year to ensure that tertiary institutions provide a comprehensive programme to raise awareness among students on sexual reproduction.

The country’s HIV/Aids prevalence rate stands at 15 percent.

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