THE National Aids Council (NAC) in the Midlands yesterday revealed that it had recorded an increase in cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the province.
STEPHEN CHADENGA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Provincial Aids co-ordinator Mambewu Shumba told Southern Eye at the NAC second quarter meeting that the province had recorded 5 655 STI cases in the second quarter of this year compared to 4 527 recorded in the first quarter.
Shumba said Gokwe South had the highest number of cases with 1 028 while Chirumanzu recorded the least cases of 168. He said there was need to intensify STI campaigns, particularly in empowering women to negotiate for safer sex.
“There is need to intensify gender programmes to empower women to negotiate for safer sex. There is also need to intensify STI campaigns in communities to empower them with relevant information on STIs and preventive measures,” Shumba said.
Kwekwe was identified as a hot spot in the province with the highest rate of people testing HIV-positive at 25% as compared to 19% in the first quarter. Shumba said the high rate could be attributed to extensive mining activities in the area.
“There is need to address key affected populations like small-scale miners and sex workers through intervention programmes,” he said.
