The Sunday News
Sukoluhle Ndlovu, Midlands Correspondent
SHURUGWI Town Council has engaged National Aids Council (Nac) to fight the pandemic as new infections in mining towns continue to rise.
Council chairperson Councillor Walter Gwinji said the local authority has lined up various measures to fight HIV pandemic in the mining town.
“Council has engaged Nac to fight the pandemic as new infections continue to rise due to mining activities taking place in the area,” he said.
Clr Gwinji said through assistance from Nac, council has rolled out HIV counselling and testing, family planning services, condom promotion targeting miners as research has shown that position fuelled by mining activities were rife in the town.
“We are targeting the youth and miners due to the fact that there is high rate of prostitution in mining areas. Some prostitutes travel from as far as Harare and Bulawayo looking for clients as they know that most miners do not stay with their wives here and this in turn increases chances of spreading the virus.
“We are also prioritising the youth after statistics provided by the Nac revealed that new infections are common among the 15-24 age groups compared to other age groups. Services being rolled out include HIV testing, family planning, condom promotion, adolescent sexual reproductive health information, TB screening, BP checks, and cervical cancer screening,” he said.
Clr Gwinji said they will empower miners by giving them information and services that will minimise their risk of contracting HIV.
“We have decided to take a step of empowering miners in the district by giving them information and services to minimise their risk of getting HIV and ensuring that they are linked to care if they are positive,” he said.
Recently Nac conducted a heath expo in Midlands State University where more than 6000 students got tested for HIV and other ailments. Nac also carried out similar health expos at Mkoba Teachers’ College and Kwekwe Polytechnic. A detailed study by Avert, a UK-based organisation, revealed that more than 230 000 men and 350 000 women in Zimbabwe affected by HIV and Aids, were found to be lacking treatment and care.
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