Males taking 'hands-on approach' to tackle HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe
31/03/2010
Men in rural Zimbabwe are looking to tackle the country's HIV and AIDS epidemic by taking part in a new scheme.
The UNICEF-sponsored Male Champions programme aims to get people in the district of Mberengwa to undergo testing for the disease, Irin News reports.
It is using male HIV-positive caregivers to influence husbands and their partners to also seek information regarding prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
Elijah Mumba, a home caregiver who works for the Musumi Mission hospital where the project is based, explained that using male representatives might be a crucial element in the programme's possible success.
She said: "The problem is that because of our socialisation, some men may not value advice when it comes from a woman."
A recent study published in PLoS Medicine revealed that the HIV and AIDS rate among teenagers in Zimbabwe is particularly high - with almost 50 per cent of those admitted to two hospitals in the country found to carry the disease.
Written by John Curtis
