Zambia: Residents of Mzuzu City and surrounding areas came together to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. The event was hosted on Friday and brought together the members of the community at Kavibale Primary School Ground.
The event was commemorated under the theme ‘Let community lead in the fight against HIV and AIDS’.
During the event aimed at achieving a better understanding of the disease, the people called for enhanced prevention strategies. The members of the community took the opportunity to come together and work towards educating people.
Member of Parliament for Lilongwe City West, George Zulu asked communities to come up with measures that work better for HIV prevention. He was attending the World Aids day Commemoration on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara.
He delivered a brief yet impactful address on the occasion and called on the people of the community to do their best to make people aware of HIV/AIDS. He said community members should be involved in the efforts to combat the pandemic.
He called on the people to propose what should be promoted and discouraged in the fight against HIV. The support and recommendations of the people of the country are critical in order to achieve zero new HIV infections by 2030.
“As we continue fighting the spread of HIV and other epidemics, we should also avoid stigmatising and discriminating against people with HIV and AIDS and refrain from promoting practices which facilitate new HIV infections,” said Zulu.
Director of Health and Social Services for Mzimba North, Dr Naomi Mulwafu also joined the residents of Mzuzu City in the event and helped them learn better about HIV/AIDS. She said apart from letting communities lead in the fight against the pandemic, people should also use all the preventive measures to contain the pandemic.
Some of the major preventive measures include practicing abstinence, faithfulness and condomising. Mulwafu urged people living with the virus to continue adhering to anti-retroviral therapy for enhanced effectiveness and good health.