Education plays a crucial role in fight against HIV/AIDS

22Nov 2016
Editor
Editorial
The Guardian
Education plays a crucial role in fight against HIV/AIDS

WORLD Aids Day is observed every year on the 1st of December. People take the opportunity to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and to show support to people who are suffering from it, or have died because of it. The World Aids Day was observed for the first time in 1988.

Over 35 million people worldwide have died because of AIDs. The reason why the day is important is because it is a constant reminder that this problem still exists and that we need to create public awareness about it.

A large population of Tanzania has HIV. According to a survey done in 2011, around 1.6 million Tanzanians are affected by HIV and out this, 1.3 million people are 15 years or older. The heartbreaking fact is that till todate 1.3 million children have been orphaned because of the disease.

Tanzania is actively working towards the problem. The Zanzibar AIDS Commission and the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) were authorized by the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics to conduct an HIV/AIDS indicator survey back in 2011-2012, which was funded by the Tanzania Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development.

The main objective of the survey was to the prevalence of HIV in people who fall within the age bracket of 15-49. The results indicated that 5.1 per cent of the participants were affected by HIV/ AIDS.

HIV can only be controlled with service expansion, creative outreach, and education. There is therefore a great need to educate the young generation of Tanzania against HIV, which is why there is a significance of World Aids Day in Tanzania.

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new treatment guidelines that reflect the need to address barriers to accessing HIV treatment such as stigma and discrimination.

The WHO cites fear of stigma and discrimination as the main reason why people are reluctant to get tested, disclose their HIV status and take antiretroviral drugs.

One study found that participants who reported high levels of stigma were over four times more likely to report poor access to care. This contributes to the expansion of the global HIV epidemic and a higher number of AIDS-related deaths.

An unwillingness to take an HIV test means that more people are diagnosed late, when the virus may have already progressed to AIDS. This makes treatment less effective, increasing the likelihood of transmitting HIV to others, and causing early death.

The epidemic of fear, stigmatization and discrimination has undermined the ability of individuals, families and societies to protect themselves and provide support and reassurance to those affected. This hinders, in no small way, efforts at stemming the epidemic.

It complicates decisions about testing, disclosure of status, and ability to negotiate prevention behaviours, including use of family planning services.

A country’s discriminatory laws, rules and policies regarding HIV can alienate and exclude people living with HIV, reinforcing the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS.

In 2014, 64 per cent of countries reporting to UNAIDS including Tanzania had some form of legislation in place to protect people living with HIV from discrimination.

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