Mbala district in Northern Province has run out of HIV/AIDS test kits and free supplied condoms.
Mbala General Hospital Medical Superintendent Ernest Mutale disclosed this during the commemoration of World AIDS Day at Senga Hill yesterday.
Dr. Mutale said the district has had not test kits for two months and was only assisted with 200 by Kasama General Hospital to test people during this year’s World AIDS Day.
Mbala District HIV/AIDS Coordination Advisor Solomon Kaluba also confirmed the shortage yesterday with ZANIS in an interview.
Mr. Kaluba said the situation is very worrying as most people cannot manage to buy condoms from the private shops.
Both Dr. Mutale and Mr. Kaluba have since appealed to the Medical Stores Limited and other partners to immediately supply the test kits and condoms.
And Traditional leaders have been urged to step up efforts of championing zero sexual cleansing practices particularly in rural areas to help promote an HIV/AIDS free generation.
Choma District Sheena Muleya said sexual cleansing was a silent factor augmenting the burden of HIV/AIDS hence the need for chiefs to enforce measures of zero sexual cleansing.
Ms Muleya said, thousands of people in Choma were on Antiretroviral (ART) treatment, which was a four-fold increase since the start of ART in the district.
“To our traditional leaders, please make sure we have zero sexual cleansing in the rural areas so that we have an HIV/AIDS free generation,” she said.
Ms Muleya said this in a speech read for her by district administrative officer Vincent Sikanyeela on Tuesday at the commemoration of World AIDS day at Airport Community School.
This year’s commemoration was held under the theme ‘Getting to zero new infections, zero deaths, zero stigma and discrimination’.
Ms Muleya also urged religious leaders to help teach children about sexual and reproductive health in youth meetings to keep communities abreast of HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS was a sexual reproductive health issue and that life skills have been included in the new education curriculum and taught to learners from the gage of eight.
“This way, children will be able to get correct information consistently at the appropriate age as they grow into adulthood,” she said.
She said Government was making positive strides to ensure more people living with HIV/AIDS have full access to essential care and treatments.
District medical office representative, Naomi Tembo said Choma, was recording a scale up in interventions of reducing HIV/AIDS cases.
She said health promotion, HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, condom usage, were among key factors in preventing the spread of the diseases.
Many people find religion to be very inspiring. Myself, I found it very stifling. I grew up with Christianity and I remember questioning it greatly. Some things didn’t work for me. Some things did…I grew up being told God is going to take care of everything and it doesn’t always work out that way. And then you’re told ‘Well, it’s God’s will.’ I got my issues. Man, you don’t want to get me started.
“Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.” – Mark Twain.
Religion is truly the greatest evil and without question a destroyer of LIFE.
Halt all cigololo until shields are available again.
In the first place, condoms encourage promiscuity. The country has been losing a lot of forex on importation of condoms. Those who use condoms should pay for them. Price them at ZMW20.00 per condom. Those who are not serious with life are not needed in our midst. Babweza ziko pansi. Let them die of AIDS whilst those who are serious with life pursue their dreams of making Zambia a better country to live in. No wonder one American aspiring candidate said (black) Africans are only good at sex, are lazy, and can not think properly.