Zambia recognises VCT Day

Zambia yesterday joined the rest of the international community in commemorating the International Voluntary Counselling and Testing Day with activities in various parts of the country.

In Kitwe, Mayor Steven Chipungu praised various stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS for their support and care towards the people living with the virus.

Mr Chipungu said this in a speech read for him by his deputy Chileshe Bweupe during the commemoration of the National Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) at Kitwe City Square yesterday.

He said VCT Day was important for the country as it continued to work towards achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by the year 2015.

Mr Chipungu said the involvement of various stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS was an encouraging development, but that more needed to be done to win the fight considering the high prevalence.

Kitwe District HIV/AIDS Taskforce (DATF) chairperson Chikafuna Banda encouraged people to come out in numbers and get tested.

Dr Banda said it was important that they got tested so they could be able to receive care and support from both government and other stakeholders in the city.

In Chingola, acting district commissioner Philip Simbule urged married couples to go for voluntary HIV testing because 60 per cent of HIV transmission happened in marriages.

Mr Simbule said the percentage was an indication that the epidemic was not only among the high risk groups hence the need for couples to go for VCT.

He said if people were encouraged to go for VCT they would be equipped with knowledge either to protect themselves from the infection or live positively and access treatment.

He said despite the enhanced sensitisation and awareness campaign about the need to go for VCT, only 15 per cent of Zambians had gone for VCT.

“The overall prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Zambia stands at 14.3 per cent and on the Copperbelt at 17 per cent and Chingola at 16 per cent.

He said the fight against HIV had some setbacks such as lack of trained personnel in VCT, low numbers of VCT centres which were geographically apart, especially in rural areas.

Other challenges he cited were inadequate information reaching the general public on availability of VCT services in Zambia and inadequate physical infrastructure in most VCT centres resulting in limited counselling space.

And Chingola DATF chairperson Aaron Kantumoya said the commemoration of the VCT Day came against the background of Zambia being one of the countries seriously ravaged by the effects of HIV/AIDS.

In Livingstone, DATF is facing a great challenge of having only one CD4 count machine despite the city having one of the highest HIV/Aids prevalence rates in the country.

DATF chairperson Eugene Kamuti said the district only had one CD4 count machine at the Government hospital.

Mr Kamuti was speaking at the commemoration of the national VCT Day held at Livingstone’s Mukuni Park yesterday.

Mr Kamuti has appealed to Government and the cooperating partners to assist purchase other CD4 count machines in the district.

“Government and partners should assist procure for us more CD4 count machines as the uptake for VCT increases in the district,” Mr Kamuti said.
[ Times of Zambia ]