First Lady Esther Lungu has commended government for initiating a mass campaign to increase the uptake of HIV counselling and testing services.
Mrs. Lungu said government, through the Ministries of Health and of Community Development, Mother and Child Health, has integrated HIV counselling with voluntary medical male circumcision, tuberculosis, maternal and child health services.
She was speaking in Lusaka today when she officiated at the International Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) day commemorations whose theme is ‘universal access to annual HIV counselling and testing’.
Mrs. Lungu, who took advantage of the commemorations by undergoing VCT at Family Health Trust stand, said VCT is the entry point to HIV prevention, care and support.
She pointed out that mobile HIV counselling and testing services had been expanded to target hard to reach areas and school going youths.
Mrs. Lungu has since called on all the stakeholders to engage communities in ensuring that the option B plus implementation is successful in the country.
The VCT commemorations started with a match past from the Olympic Youth Development Centre through to Olympic Africa in Lusaka’s Mandevu constituency.
And United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Janet Rogan, said Zambia was still among the top ten countries in the world with the highest number of people living with HIV despite reaching its MDG target for HIV/AIDS.
Ms. Rogan however applauded Zambia for achieving the national target on stabilizing the epidemic saying the HIV prevalence decreased from 15.6 percent in 2002 to 13.3 percent in 2014.
She urged members of the public to work together and fight stigma in order to create an AIDS free generation by 2020.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Mayor George Nyendwa called for behavioural change towards the fight against HIV/AIDS in Lusaka city.
Mr. Nyendwa said it was not pleasing that the HIV prevalence is still high in Lusaka city.
He disclosed that the Lusaka City Council was committed to ensuring that HIV spread was brought to zero by 2020 through conducting VCT services in all the wards.
And it is Positive
Thanks
BB2014
The first lady, looks rough, unworthy of an Important person. Look at her.
How embarrassing, has she finished Grade 9!
Oh Gawd, she needs help!
Thanks
BB2014
Esther please keep your disgusting results between you and Lungu. The Watchdog showed us Edgar’s ages ago!
Kikikiki Mushota,
It is Edgar who needs help. Those are consequences of alcohol… how many of us have been regretting after hang-over? We used to sleep with anybody, no size!!
The act of testing publicly by the first lady is commendable. I just hope the President will also start having his medicals locally
Why did Ba Ester decide to take HIV tests now, she doesn’t trust the husband? Is it because he was touching Dora Siliya? or the Mfuwe outings… Edgar boyi salapuka. That marriage is over.
Esther is an emerging butterfly! Mulefwa with Jealous you haters!!
How this qualifies as headline news is beyond me!!! Let all those people marching and standing around watching Esther Lungu go back to work and be more productive.
This is the same reason why we are still poor. Very few people are engaged in productive activities while the rest are expecting something from nothing and constantly depending on the few to provide for them
YOU BEEN WARNED,STNKING ASS BITCH
I really miss Dr Kaseba and Maureen Mwanawasa as first ladies.Awe mwe.
Fipelwa na ba Yahwee. It is God who allows people to go up there
and you don`t have the power to question Him, you just have to accept that mama Esther Lungu is our humble first lady, kwamana.
Kaseba na Maureen ni ba nyoko? Yenda kwa nyoko
That’s way to go mama Lungu – leading by example.
Since she went public when she was tested she should have publicised result too
We already know the results. Please keep them to your family. Thanks.
At least we can say that mama Esther looks like a real woman. Unlike her husband who looks like the charred remains of a sugar cane stalk.
Most people on this platform are real haters…Mushota ulimbwa sir tar neo call!
Just know that God is not involved wherever and whenever elections are rigged.
Well done Ma’am . Leading by example. One all Zambians should consider.
That ball stood no chance!
Esther Lungu is too urgly to be Zambia’s First Lady. Thanks to God her husband will be losing the elections next year.
Shame on ZWD and their rumour mill. Lies have no legs
I will give credit where it is due. I have lost many loved ones thru HIV and Aids. So, it is good to lead by example.
But ZWD have made an important observation worth NOT ignoring. Is this a real test being carried out, or just posing for the pictures? Why is the lady carrying out the HIV test NOT WEARING GLOVES? She is risking coming into direct contact with the body fluids of someone not yet tested and certified negative?? What is going on here?
Because it’s in Africa…backward and still uneducated, lot.
Not hiv test it’s diabetes test
NONSENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kaili vinabwela mochedwa. balibelela ifiko!!
@ Mushota. Whatever happened to the culture of respecting one’s elders in Zambia? I am not surprised that the elderly are now the ones burying the young ones! I am just saying…
Which one is Ester in the picture. Both look like they are from Chawama. Either way good message sent by the first lady
What the first lady needs is a stylist. That’s what they do in advanced countries. We don’t want embarrassment. Check the pictures of Hillary Clinton when she just became first lady.
I have noticed from this fora that there is an alarming level of ignorance as regards HIV/AIDS. Firstly there are what are known as sero discordant couples, one HIV positive there other negative. Scientists are yet to get to the bottom of this phenomena. However in recent years there has been a spike in sero discordant couples. With the right attitude and precautions taken these couples can maintain the status quo. Then again if one partner is HIV undectectable, meaning the viral load cannot be detected implying that there is less than 50 copies of the virus in the system there is no way the virus can be transmitted. Nevertheless precautions are to be taken, and HIV testing should be done on an ongoing basis. I hope all the contributors to this fora have been tested. Have a good one.
ba Sikkas,
Thank you much for the education. I will not even attempt to pretend that I knew that before you explained it. I was one of those ignorant people who thought if a couple, one positive and one negative, were mad enough to even contemplate séxual intercourse, there has to be a steel condom involved somehow.
This ignorance mwandi. Anyway thanks again. Much appreciated.
conducting an HIV test without gloves…..
FAKE
People are stupid. You have to protect yourself by wearing a condom during sex and wear gloves when getting some blood samples from clients. Guess what? She is not wearing gloves.
I think the lady was forced to perform the task without gloves because Zambian health facilities are experiencing dire shortage of everything including mere panadol. I feel for that lady.
Mmmmmmmmmm….
appearance ni chuunga class type!!!
I applaud what she did and hope the stigma we have about AIDS/HIV lessens so people come forward instead of dying because they are ashamed to reveal their status. The only thing I suggest is the use and promotion of gloves so there are no accidents. She does not have to reveal her status unless she wants to and this is the pressure people impose on others which really needs to stop. This disease affects everyone, could be a friends, mother, father, children and all relatives. Hiding from it is what is killing us. Let’s stop the ignorance and try to combat this disease once and for all. We may not be able to cure it yet but we are capable of saving lives together as a nation not all alone. One Zambia! One Nation! And let’s not forget that.