By Elvis Howahowa
Civil society organisations (CSOs) and Blantyre City Council officials have decried what they have described as the worrying rate of HIV prevalence.
The development comes at a time the HIV prevalence rate for Blantyre stands at 18.8 percent against the national prevalence rate of 8.9 percent, putting the city on the list of urban areas with high prevalence rates.
This has spurred organisations such as Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication into action, with its chief executive officer Simon Sikwese saying there is a need for stakeholders to join hands.
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“That is why we have been engaging Blantyre Rural and city ward councilors in developing new strategies so that we can lower the rate,” he said.
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In the latest development, the organisation mobilised 20 ward councillors, who converged at Blantyre Civic Offices in the commercial city to plot the downfall of HIV.
“Duty-bearers such as councillors can use their influence in their areas of jurisdiction to disseminate information on HIV and Aids, including on how it remains a public health threat in Blantyre.
“As players working in the HIV and Aids space, we need to work together with the city fathers to look into how we can develop new ways of combating the disease. We should, for example, be looking at how climate change is contributing to the spread of HIV and how we can deal with that. How about our city by-laws? Are they helping or we need to review them?” Sikwese said.
Just like other parts of Blantyre, Lunzu Ward has not been spared from the effects of HIV and Aids.
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Its ward councillor Margrate Cisseo attributed the problem of soaring HIV occurrence rate to poverty which, she said, has culminated in some girls engaging in unprotected sex just to put food on the table.
Cisseo added that she is engaging stakeholders on how to stem cases of HIV.
Soche West Ward Councillor, Thokozani Phekani, said the other challenge that is leading to a high HIV prevalence rate in Blantyre is fear by some residents.
“Some residents shun HIV tests, which frustrates the fight against HIV,” Phekani said.
Phekani said she and other community leaders in her ward take advantage of social gatherings to sensitise people to issues such as dangers of HIV and Aids.
Meanwhile, Blantyre City Council Health Committee Deputy Chairperson Leonard Chimbanga has said they have intensified the fight against HIV and Aids.
“For instance, we are looking at ways of making sure that service providers, mainly those who are running entertainment joints, are playing their role in preventing the further spread of HIV.
“We want entertainment places to be in the forefront in this fight and one way of doing this is stocking condoms so that customers can be using them,” Chimbanga said.
Blantyre City Council Deputy Mayor Funny Balaba Kanojerera expressed confidence that initiatives such as the Social Cash Transfer Programme and loans disbursed by National Economic Empowerment Fund would help stakeholders reach out to vulnerable groups in the city.
