THE National Aids Council (NAC) has launched night HIV and Aids testing sessions targeting sex workers and their clients.
BY XOLISANI NCUBE
NAC Harare provincial official, Ennie Zowa told journalists on a tour of Harare that the moonlight programme sought to help sex workers, who normally shied away from health services such as voluntary HIV testing and counselling.
“We have realised that some patrons shy away or have no time to go for HIV and Aids testing during daytime,” she said.
“So we target them at night at taverns. If the positive prevalence rate is high, it means more would be initiated into ART (anti-retroviral therapy).”
Since the start of the programme, Zowa said Chitungwiza district had seen 32% of the population tested under the moonlight programme testing positive, while under the normal programme 5,2% of the people tested were HIV positive.
She said in Ruwa, 28% of those tested under the moonlight programme came out positive, compared to 8,9% of those who tested positive under the normal programme between April and July.
“This programme provides an opportunity for sex workers and night spot patrons to access services,” Zowa said.
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Harare has a 14% HIV prevalence rate, with the dormitory town of Epworth being a hot spot, followed by the capital’s central business district, which covers the Avenues area.
Zowa said the key drivers of HIV in Harare had been low uptake of condoms and multiple concurrent partners.
“We have early sexual debut at 15 to 19 years, which has resulted in the high positivity rate,” she said.
From April to July, 10 224 people were treated for sexually transmitted infections, with 4 668 of them being tested for HIV and 523 people testing positive.
Between April and July, according to NAC Harare, 16% of those who were sexually abused tested HIV positive.
A total of 37% of TB patients tested HIV positive in the second quarter of 2017.
As a way of encouraging condom use, NAC, in the second quarter, distributed more than two million male and 150 000 female condoms.
NAC also stated that students were driving the spread of the disease due to perception of low risk of HIV infection.
