By: Darlington Majonga
Every
day we are reminded of the grim reality of HIV when we see relatives, friends,
neighbours and workmates succumbing to Aids-related illnesses.
Depressing
statistics are always at hand to complete the picture of the crisis we are
facing in our country.
More
than five million South Africans are said to be living with HIV, including over
300 000 children under the age of 15.
Latest
reports from the department of health indicate that the Free State province has
the third highest HIV infection in the country at 35 percent, with the
provincial capital Mangaung having a 31 percent rate.
KwaZulu-Natal
has the highest HIV infection rate in South Africa at about 40 percent,
followed by Mpumalanga at just below 40 percent.
Yet
these figures are no longer shocking to the majority of South Africans.
What’s
rather appalling is how these numbers have failed to jolt us into becoming a
responsible people.
We
were pleased to learn that leading anti-HIV and Aids group, New Start, will
give couples from Mangaung Metro Municipality a chance to get tested for HIV in
a week-long campaign starting today.
The
campaign running until August 22 will see mobile testing units set up at the
Mangaung Taxi Rank where couples can voluntarily go for counselling and testing
for the Aids virus.
New
Start says the exercise is aimed at encouraging couples to know their HIV
status and to be open to each other about their health concerns in order to
lead healthy lives.
We
can only applaud this campaign and encourage all couples and individuals to
seek a new start to their lives by getting tested for the virus that causes
Aids.
In
the meantime we also hope everyone will always remember there is one thing
every responsible person, including the poorest of the poor, can do in this
battle against the scourge.
Behavioural
change!
Indeed,
it’s high time we all accepted that Aids is a serious battle on our hands.
If
we don’t step up our fight against the scourge – and we are not trying to be
alarmist or to perpetuate stigmas associated with the epidemic – we will,
sadly, continue losing our loved ones in numbers.
The
painful truth, which we will have to live with, is that our salvation lies not
in the discovery of a cure but in stopping new infections.
It’s
a battle that requires the efforts of the infected, affected and the
uninfected.
We
must realise that through our actions we either help fight or worsen this
pandemic which has wreaked havoc in South Africa and the world over.
For
example, experts say multiple concurrent sexual partnerships are one of the
biggest causes of the high rates of HIV infection in the country.
The
practice, defined as having more than one sex partner at a time, is blamed for
fuelling the spread of the pandemic.
However,
HIV infection could be curbed drastically if people stopped having multiple
sexual partners.
This
is what we see as the biggest challenge for South Africa.
The
problem is not necessarily the lack of information.
It’s
our cavalier attitude.
Most
men and women see it as fashionable to have multiple sex partners at a time.
And
many of them do it recklessly too!
A
recent study revealed that more than 60 percent of the sexually active people
in the Free State did not constantly use the condom which largely shields
against the spread of the Aids virus and other sexually transmitted infections.
Yet
the number of deaths from HIV-related illnesses must by now have jolted
everyone to change their dangerous ways.
Also,
men and women must be equal partners in making decisions about sex.
It
is the responsibility of every one of us to help those around us to know the
importance of abstinence, safe sex and getting tested early.
There
are those who have tested positive already – this is not the end but rather the
beginning.
Those
who are infected with the virus have an even bigger responsibility of being
role models in society and showing those around them that one’s HIV status does
not limit their horizon.
That
way we can conquer this pandemic.
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