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UNAIDS VISION: ZERO NEW HIV INFECTIONS, ZERO DISCRIMINATION, ZERO AIDS-RELATED DEATHS2

HIV and Aids is not new to our world, in fact we are entering the 4th decade facing this epidemic. Although HIV and Aids does not discriminate between race age and sex, it does seem that those who are disadvantaged and those living in third world countries seem to suffer most.

One of the millennium development goals (6A)¹ is aimed at halting and reversing the spread of HIV – there are many organisations world wide, in Africa and locally in Zimbabwe that are trying to achieve this same goal:

"HIV prevention works - new HIV infections are declining in many countries most affected by the epidemic. In 33 countries, HIV incidence has fallen by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009. Of these countries 22 are in sub-Saharan Africa. The biggest epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa - Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe - have either stabilized or are showing signs of decline.²

Aids Assistance and the rural area of Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

The South Eastern area bordering Mozambique and encompassing Chimanimani District including Cashel, Nyanyadzi and most of the way to Chipinge has had a thriving outreach programme to members of the community raising awareness of HIV / Aids, family planning and general health issues including child care.

Chimanimani has a structure called Population Services run by Sister Zondiwe Faya, who has been fully committed to this programme. Populations services Zimbabwe have withdrawn funding this institution and they now survive on minimal funding from the local Chimanimani Rural District Council, not even having a single operational vehicle to utilise for their efforts.

Despite these funding challenges that Sister Zondiwe Faya and her team face, they still continue to test any members of the community who make the journey to Chimanimani for HIV testing. HIV positive community members are referred to Mutambara Clinic, 50 km away to get ARVs (anti-retroviral treatment). Whilst they continue to battle away, the whole system is over stretched and under funded and many potential beneficiaries can either not make the journey or access drugs.³

The above problems are commonly found amongst third world countries battling against the HIV / Aids epidemic and it is disheartening when politics impacts on peoples’ welfare. It is humbling to see the continued efforts and commitment being made by individuals such as Sister Faya, against all odds. It is these individuals that are helping move toward the UNAIDS vision.

Hopefully if more individuals and groups work as hard and tirelessly as those people in Chimanimani perhaps more parts of Africa as well as the world can move close towards achieving the HIV Aids specific millennium development goal #6 then they can start achieving results such as those that are being seen currently in Zimbabwe - the last HIV prevalence survey in Zimbabwe was carried out 4 years ago and showed that there has been a decline in the prevalence of HIV and there has been a decline in the number of men and women who have had sex by the age of 15. It has become accepted fact in various pieces of HIV / AIDS related literature that education is key to helping reduce the spread of HIV /AIDS.

See the full UNAIDS 2010 report

Sources

1. United Nations Millenium Development Goals
2. UNAIDS Report on the Global Aids Epidemic 2010
3. Personal account of Mike Bailey, resident in the Chimanimani District

Posted by Mike Bailey (December 2010)