10 Sep 2019

It is critical to continue stimulating discussions on eliminating challenges and harnessing opportunities through multi-sectoral partnership in combating Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS.

Addressing the media on the upcoming STI conference in Francistown, Dr Imilli Muchapa said World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than one million STIs were acquired daily globally.

He said productive women aged between 15-19 years continued to be the most affected by STIs with profound health outcomes, adding that STIs had been shown to increase risk for acquiring HIV infection.

Dr Muchapa said this called for strategies to combating STIs and HIV/AIDS to be integrated; with emphasis on health promotion and education to promote healthy sexual behaviours in communities.

This, he noted would help countries attain goals of health and productive communities as well as Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

“We need practical solutions that will transform individuals and communities for better health,” he said adding that the conference brought an innovative solution that combined the principles of transformational leadership with those of health promotion and education.

Dr Muchapa said leaders, as gatekeepers of the society, must be armed with theoretical and practical means of defending their people from the scourge of both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

He said that once they had been enabled, their duty would be to take every opportunity afforded to them through their various fora and platforms to emphasise health promotion and the importance of adopting a healthier lifestyle at the same time implementing cost effective practical means.

According to the District Aids coordinator, Ms Elizabeth Wright, the objective of the conference was to stimulate discussions on strategies for combating STIs and HIV/AIDS infections in the quest for attaining Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Ms Wright said the other objective aimed to empower and capacitate leaders to view themselves as gatekeepers of the community with the responsibility to educate and lead the nation in fighting STIs and HIV infections.

The conference also aimed to discuss behavioral and cultural barriers/practices that promote and inhibit the spread of STIs and HIV/AIDS and to highlight the role of inclusive and tolerant communities in combating STI and HIV/AIDS.

It also focused in discussing factors contributing to a communication gap in patient-care giver, health professional, key populations, youths, families, couples, organisations, community and the society.

The factors included new infections, non-adherence, lack of acceptance and non-disclosure.

The conference also intended to discuss and recommend policies and laws guiding sexuality in order to control STIs and HIV/AIDS infections. ENDs