Jilinde VVU kwanza kabla hujafikiria Taifa- Dk.Kalinga

MKURUGENZI wa sera na mipango katika Tume ya Kudhibiti UKIMWI (TACAIDS) Dk. Raphael Kalinga amerejea wito wake kwa jamii kwamba mapambano dhidi ya VVU na UKIMWI yaanze kwa mtu binafsi. 

Dk. Kalinga (watatu kulia waliosimama)

Kwa kutambua hilo, mtu binafsi ataweka mikakati thabiti ya kujilindi yeye binafsi hata kabla ya kumfikiria mwenza wake, familia yake na hatimae taifa lake.

Dk. Kalinga alitoa msimamo wake huo ambao amekuwa akiusisitiza katika siku za hivi karibuni wakati alipozungumza na mtandao wa blog ya Zuia UKIMWI Tanzania.

“Napenda nieleweke vizuri. Ninaposema kuwa tatizo la UKIMWI ni la mtu binafsi kwanza kabla halijawa la kitaifa, nina maana kwamba taifa haliwezi kuwepo kama hakuna mtu binafsi. Mtu binafsi anaungana na mwenza kutengezeza familia, familia inatengeneza jamii, baadae  kijiji, tarafa, wilaya, mkoa na hatimae taifa,” akasema Dk.Kalinga.

Kwa mujibu wa mtaalamu huyo, kama sehemu ya kutimiza ndoto ya kitaifa ya kutokomeza kabisa kabisa kwa kiwango cha “0”  maambukizo mapya ya VVU, unyanyapaa pamoja na vifo vinavyotokana na VVU/UKIMWI ifikapo 2015, kila mwananchi kwa nafasi yake anapaswa kujilinda kwanza na kuhakikisha hapati maambukizo yoyote.

Na kwa yule aliyekwisha ambukizwa azingatie masharti ya kinga na tiba ambayo yatamfanya aendelee kuwa mwenye siha lakini pia pasipo kupata maambukizo mengine mapya (re-infection) 

Dk. Kalinga akaongeza kuwa, kwa mtu anayemsikia haraka haraka, anaweza kuhisi kuwa anapingana na tamko la serikali la mwaka 2005 (enzi za utawala wa Rais Mstaafu Benjamini W Mkapa) lililoutangaza UKIMWI kuwa janga la kitaifa. 

Tangu kipindi hicho, serilai kwa kushirikiana na wadao mbali mbali katika mapambano hayo ilichukua hatua muhimu na imara kupambana na maambukizo na kuzidi kusambaa kwa VVU na UKIMWI miongoni mwa jamii ya Tanzania.

Mojawapo ya mafanikio yab hivi karibuni ni kupungua kwa kiwango cha maambukizi miongoni mwa watanzania kutoka 7.2% hadi 5.7% kwa mujibu wa takwimu za taifa za 2008/2009. 

Njia zinazotumika kupunguza maambukizi zimekuwa tofauti lakini mojawapo ni pamoja na kutoa elimu kwa umma ya kujinga na maambukizo ya VVU , kutoa dawa kwa mama wajawazito wenye VVU ili kuzuia wasiwaambukize watoto wanaotarajia kuwazaa, kuanzisha tiba (ARVs) kwa watu wanaoishi na VVU pamoja na kampeni za kutahiri wanaume wasiotahiriwa

Hata hivyo, pamoja na jitihada hizo, bado baadhi ya wananchi wameendelea kushabikia au kutekeleza tabia ambazo zinapelekea maambukizo mapya. Mfano mzuri ni ule wa watu kuendekeza tabia au mila za kuwa na wenza (wapenzi) wengi, maarufu kama mtandao wa ngono.

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Lobby: Curb violations of HIV and AIDS law

The National Council for People Living with HIV/Aids in Tanzania (NACOPHA) has warned about the flounting of the disease’s prevention and control law, saying this was frustrating government efforts to combat the disease.

Nacopha board chairman Vitalis Makayula told reporters yesterday in Dar es Salaam after he had attended the 5th HIV/Aids Stakeholders Main/ Policy Review meeting organised by the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) that the group was facing a number of challenges caused by the flouting of the HIV/Aids law.

During the meeting, which comprised participants from the government, policy makers, civil society organisations and people living with HIV/Aids, the chairman said it will still be hard for the government to attain 3-zeros in the country.

"The government has a number of good initiatives aiming at attaining the 3-zeros response of HIV/Aids target in the country. However a growing trend by people to flout the HIV/Aids Act of 2008 has resulted in minimal results," the chairman claimed.

Citing the 2008 HIV/AIDS law, Makayula explained that it had assured people living with HIV that the government would, using available resources, ensure that every person living with HIV and Aids, vulnerable children and orphans are accorded with basic health services, but the situation on the ground was that the victims only had access to free ARVs and not other medicines.

He noted further that the law also barred individuals, institutions or groups from promoting traditions which may enhance HIV/Aids spread in the community, but said there were adverts on traditional medicine which were said to be a cure for the disease.

“People are lured into not using their ARVs simply because they are told or advised to use other traditional medicines, which turn out to be ineffective,” he said.

He urged the government to hold to account all individuals claiming to be having a cure for HIV/Aids, stressing that failure to do so will result in the importation of more expensive ARVs.

For his part, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Peniel Lyimo said no one had the mandate to announce discovery of a cure except the ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Chairperson of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS Dr Fatuma Mrisho acknowledged there being traditional herbalists and religious leaders who have been illegally announcing to have a cure for HIV/Aids, saying they were frustrating government initiatives in achieving the 3-zeros target.

·         SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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Communication specialists in HIV Prevention meet in Dar for strategic consultations

THE Executive Chairperson of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr Fatma Mrisho, yesterday opened a three day practicum on community-based communication for comprehensive HIV Prevention in Africa.

Ms Matebogo Mapane of South Africa making a presentation on how Soul City--her organization carried out a community dialogues targeting MCPs

She was represented by the Commission’s acting Director of Advocacy and Information (DAI), Jumanne Issango.

Organized by the African Network for Strategic Communication in Heath and Development (AfriComNet)—a network of more than 1,500 strategic communication practitioners from 52 countries, the practicum focused on interpersonal and community HIV Communication Initiatives in Africa: Evidence and Lessons.

 Held in Dar es Salaam from 12-14^th November, the event has attracted between 80-100 participants from the region including communicators, HIV programme implementers, policy makers, community-based organizations, university partners, and donor representatives to share practical experiences, tools, research and educational materials, and synthesize and package lessons learned for wide dissemination.

Organizers said one of the practicum’s purposes would be to explore communication approaches for tackling normative and cultural change required to influence behavioral drivers of HIV in Africa. Likewise, it intends to make recommendations for improving the effectiveness and scale-up of community-based and interpersonal communications for HIV prevention.

One of the papers presented as keynote address to the delegates was about the recommendations for maximizing scale and impact of social and behavior change interventions. This was presented by Professor Douglas Storey, an associate director of communication science and research at JHUCCP in the USA.

Professor Douglas Storey

Over the years, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other donor programmes have supported Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC), which has mos likely averted many HIV infections.

After more than two decades of HIV SBCC, there is a wealth of experience and evidence to guide future efforts. According to the organizers, Mass media can maximize reach of HIV messages and can influence behavior.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounted for 70% of new infections in 2010, although there was a notable decline in the regional rate of new infections. The total number of new infections in SSA has dropped by more than 20%, to 1.9 million from the estimated 2.6 million.

Though antiretroviral (ARV) medications have become more widely available, effective HIV prevention remains a top priority

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