First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa says stigmatization of HIV and AIDS positive individuals must not be entertained.
Mrs. Mwanawasa says stigma has resulted in depression and the early death of the afflicted.
The First Lady was speaking when she officiated at a meeting for Chief Executives on HIV/AIDS in Lusaka today.
She said this is unfortunate because with the availability of the life-prolonging drugs, people who are HIV/AIDS positive are able to live long and productive lives.
Mrs. Mwanawasa said the HIV/AIDS pandemic needs a multi-sectoral response to halt its spread and mitigate its impact.
She called stakeholder such as the Church and the private sector to offer the necessary support to government in the fight against the pandemic.
Mrs. Mwanawasa pointed out that each and every interest group, and every individual has a role to play in the fight against the pandemic.
She further called for a new and comprehensive approach to the fight against the disease which have continued to rob humanity of its productive human resource.
Mrs. Mwanawasa said the private sector responses to HIV and AIDS need to involve workplace and community-based polices and programmes.
She said the business community should advocate for proactive approaches that include equitably employment polices and work place programmes and support for broader HIV prevention and management in society.
Mrs. Mwanawasa noted that the Executive Directors must ensure that the organizations that they direct put in place comprehensive HIV/AIDS work place polices that will address specific issues brought by the scourge.
And Care Zambia Project Manager Njekwa Lumbwe saluted government for recognizing HIV and AIDS as a cross cutting issue.
Ms Lumbwe noted that partnerships are essential in the fight against the pandemic.
Days are gone when being HIV positive was a death sentence as I living proof. I am healty and leading a very productive life. I think we should be encouraged to find out our status and deal with it. I have talked to a lot of my friends and the fear of knowing their status is because they feel there is a chance of them being positive. I feel I am ‘lucky’ in a way that I know my status and thus taking charge of my life. Waiting to get sick is not the answer because it may be too late. I have known my status for 3 years and my CD4 count is over 400 and virus undetectable. I have never been sick.Looking at me you would not even suspect my status.If you do not know your status get tested. Its way
Whats worse is the depression people get into and die quickly,after knowing there status.And others get into the habit of spreading it “sininga yende neka”,I have heard it said and done.
Do these drugs really help us.or they arehelping us spread the disease more?
I invited my sister to come and visit me, to my shock she arrived very, very sick! First thing monday morning i drove her to a doctor for some tests, and asked the doctor “secretly” to test her blood for Hiv, the results came out positive, she was immediately put on medication, today she looks very healty thanks to me and the doctors, but she hates me for telling my parents about her status, saying she was going to do it herself, she has been living with hiv for over 12yrs and never said a word to anyone it was too heavy secret to carry alone, i also encouraged my other siblings to open up and get tested one more sister carries the virus, but spreads it in Lusaka like wild fire…Poverty…
HIV/AIDS in the developed counties is now listed among the chronic diseases, no longer a terminal disease. Get tested, know your status and live healthy lives. Discriminating those with HIV will not only cause them to be depressed but is also unchrstian.
# 2 Those taking ARVS and believe by being promiscous they are achieving their motives of ‘sininga yende neka’, are only shortening their life span, cos they expose themselves to more infection and possible drug resistance.
Hey guys, practice safe sex. But why is it that public toilets in clubs, grz buildings etc do not have condoms available for visitors? Surely prevention is better than cure. Maureen must tell her husband to ensure that the ministry of health wakes up and promotes free condoms in all public houses.