High risk behavior during public gatherings such as the lukwakwas, Mbundas-Liyoyelo and Chivweka traditional ceremonies is among five major factors leading to high levels of HIV transmission in Kabompo district.
This was contained in a District AIDS Task force (DATF) second quarter report made available to ZANIS in Kabompo today.
The report said that rural health facilities involved in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases had revealed the presence of such disease at high levels in age groups 15 to 49 years especially in communities along the main road in the St. kalemba mission hospital.
The report said that Kabompo district with the population of 99,711 has estimated adult HIV prevalence rate of 6.1 per cent.
The report cited low status of women, unemployment, poverty and low use of condoms in the district as the other four major factors for increasing HIV Transmission in the district.
The report said that there had been an increase in the number of traders from the neighboring countries in search of caterpillars and groundnuts in Kabompo district this year as another factor for the increase in HIV transmission..
To mitigate the situation, the report said, 1,161 information, education and communication mistrials and 2,927 male condoms were distributed during the quarter of the year.
The report went on to say that 1,314 males and 733 females were tested for HIV from which 34 males and 48 females were found HIV positive.
The report said that 11 males and 39 females were with advanced HIV infection and put on ARV therapy and 103 males and 179 females were also provided with palliative care while 1,127 male and 1,151 female orphans and vulnerable children received care and support from community based organizations and non-governmental organizations.
[ZANIS]
we are tired with these reports,kula ilyafye chabe.
HIV/AIDS is a social disease therefore it is difficult to fight it without a call for change in behaviour. Many people dont want to be told to stop having illicit s e x.
Not those ceremonies mentioned in the article but Lwindii Gondwe in Monze were HH is patron, hey blogs, the ceremony venue was littered with condoms the next day. Am scared to ve such a leader cos sex will be openly done. Foolish and stop HIV/AIDS.