What could be the best approach in fighting against HIV /Aids?
 
2006-01-14 08:51:01
By Correspondent Jane Maro

A number of countries in the third world have embarked on a programme to facilitate the distribution of antiretroviral drugs as part of state health delivery policy, Tanzania was not left out.

However, in most developing countries the supply of these drugs was not very constant and the situation has not improved to date.

On a global scale many non-governmental organisations put pressure on their governments to implement such programmes with many having started between 1996 and 1997.

The provision of these drugs has been characterized by mixed results in different countries and the long-term gains have been rather minimal.

In South Africa there is an on going debate on whether the government should keep on distributing these drugs free of charge to patients or not.

Studies carried out in India and Brazil indicate that the provision of these drugs yields short-term solutions with long- term implications.

The long-term implications have not yet been clearly seen since the programmes are less than a decade old. Nevertheless there are hints that the programmes have shortfalls in a number of ways.

The most evident drawback is that the people will have an over reliance on medical treatment plunging the respective countries in economic hardships.

It has been discovered that most people are now ignoring other forms of treatment; instead the use of ARVs should be viewed as a component of the treatment regime and not the only option.

Psychological treatment should also be pursued extensively even where ARVs are available.

Medically it has been proved that diet is one of the key components in as far as treatment of many diseases is concerned and it also applies when it comes to the treatment of HIV/Aids.

It will be of no use to expose patients to chemical treatment without taking into account their dietary needs.

It is a known fact that good diet fights away diseases.

Many health experts across the world have emphasized that it is more important to focus on a patient’s diet rather than concentrate on trying to find a cure or trying to suppress the symptoms through chemical means.

There is a belief that HIV/Aids has to do with one’s life style though some will argue that this school of thought leads to stigmatization, if we uphold this school of thought then it follows that the use of ARVs should also be accompanied by life style change.

The public should not find comfort in ARVs hence become complacent; if governments across the world distribute these drugs randomly to the public there might be a tendency of negligence from some people.

It has been reported that quite a number of people thought that ARVs are a cure for HIV/Aids hence some of the people embarked on very risky behaviour since they were under the impression that a cure has been found.

Let it be known that ARVs are not a cure for HIV/Aids.

If one looks at the trend of campaigners these days they now focus on safe sex and the use of condoms.

It’s as if they have given up on discouraging behaviour which promotes the transmission of the disease. One can only engage in reckless behavior at his/her own peril.

The only option which might save the world is behavioural ; it is the most effective method to fight this deadly disease.

Some might argue that this solution is archaic and too moralistic but that is the only option left given that almost every method has been tried with very minimal success.

Health workers who distribute AVRs should receive extra training, it is not good enough for them to have medical training only.

They should also be responsible for changing the mindset of the patients. Regardless of the quantity of AVRs given to the public as long as they continue leading a sexually risky life all the efforts to fight HIV/Aids will come to nothing.

It is strange that the number of new infections is always on the increase except for some countries whose figures have gone down (if it’s anything to go by).

People are dying everyday in different communities and the public is well aware of that but still new infections are recorded everyday.

This shows that people have not yet changed their behaviour.

The other factor which is contributing to the ever-increasing rate of HIV/Aids cases is the economic factor; most women are exposed to this deadly disease because of economic hardships.

In a research which was carried out in Dar es Salaam among sex workers it was discovered that most of them insist on safe sex (use of the condom) but if the client wants to do it without a condom then the price goes up.

What it means is if a client is HIV positive and has that extra money to pay for sex without a condom then the sex worker will agree.

Recently one local tabloid carried a story on prostitution in Namibia, where young girls aged 13 are already in the streets soliciting for sex.

The young girls interviewed confessed that they do it with clients without a condom unless the client insists that he wants to use a condom.

Most of these girls are in the streets because of economic hardships.

Each member of the community should take part in the fight against this deadly disease which has claimed millions of people world wide including our beloved relatives.

The honours is on you, they say foretold is fore warned.

Let 2006 be a year with a difference whereby everyone makes it a point to fight against HIV/Aids. It is a reality and it kills so don’t be caught on the wrong side of the fence.

• SOURCE: Guardian