HARARE—
Zimbabwe
is one of four southern African countries rolling out free HIV self-testing
kits this month.Experts
say making it easier for people to find out their status will curb the spread
of HIV, but others worry that testing without adequate counseling and treatment
options will have little impact.Despite
the concerns, Zimbabwe is optimistic that self-testing kits can help it prevent
new HIV infections.A
quick thumb prick and in a matter of minutes the test kit can tell the tester
if you he or she is HIV-positive or not.The
kits are already available in some pharmacies. They cost about $5. But a new
program, funded by the international NGO UNITAID, will soon begin distributing
them for free over the next four years so researchers can evaluate their
effectiveness.
Zimbabwe’s
national HIV prevention coordinator, Gertrude Ncube, said the self-testing kits
are convenient and discreet.“Those
who are afraid of someone to know their HIV status, they will be able to test
themselves and interpret the results themselves at their home environment.
Basing on studies done elsewhere like in Malawi, it was actually found that men
were actually forthcoming with self-testing. So we are hoping that even here in
Zimbabwe, especially males who are always busy at work, they will be a
ble to
take the self-testing kits and test themselves,” Ncube said.Only
34 percent of men in Zimbabwe know their HIV status, compared to 56 percent for
women, according to data collected by the country's government.In
some African countries, the same data shows, the percentage of men who know
their HIV status can be as low as eight percent.‘What do I do?’ In
theory, once people know they are infected, they can begin treatment and learn
how to not transmit the virus to others.But
some Zimbabweans are skeptical. The self-test kits are not a magic bullet, Mire
Maponga said.
“As
soon as I know my results, what do I do? From there is no adequate counseling.
Let us not assume that everyone is in the know about HIV. Yes, we want to act
like we want to normalize (remove stigma), but in the process, it is not yet
like normalize as we would want it to be, I fear,” Maponga said.Stephano
Gudukeya works with Population Services International, one of the organizations
running the HIV self-testing program in Zimbabwe.
“Community
health workers are going to be available to assist. They might test regardless
of their results, if they need any further information, they need support, even
assistance in interpreting their own results or options they can take after
testing. We also have a toll-free line that people can call and talk to a
counselor at any time, and this should be able to provide further support to
people that test,” Gudukeya said.
Malawi,
South Africa and Zambia are also taking part in the initiative.At
the moment, Kenya is the only other African country to have officially adopted
HIV self-testing kits, though they can be found for purchase in other countries
like Namibia and Tanzania.According
to various studies, of the approximately 34 million HIV-positive people
worldwide, about 69 percent live in sub-Saharan Africa.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Please insert your comments here