Serowe Sub district commemorates HIV and AIDS health fair
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday November 20, 2014 11:26
They will host the Serowe Sub District HIV and AIDS Health fair on Saturday. According to DHMT Public Relations officer, Mpho Kesegofetse, the event will be held under the theme “Getting to zero; Zero new infections. Zero Discrimination. Zero AIDS- Related Deaths.”
Kesegofetse said that HIV and AIDS remains one of the greatest public health and social challenges in the present Botswana.
She said that according to BAIS IV survey of 2013, there is an estimated national prevalence rate of 18.5 percent compared to 17.6 percent in 2008 among the population aged 18 months and above.
“Among the same population, HIV incidence rate was estimated at 1.35 percent compared to 1.45 percent in 2008.
“According to BIAS IV results, prevalence rate in Central Serowe is 17.1 percent where males are at 16.4 percent as compared to females at 17.8 percent,” she added. Kesegofetse said that the compiled statistics by Serowe DHMT from April 2012 to March 2013 shows that 6,365 males aged 15 to 49 tested for HIV and 401 were found positive.
She said out of 6,230 females who tested for HIV of the same age group 901 tested positive on the same time frame.
From the same period, 2,298 new (Anti-Natal Clinic (ANC) clients were registered and out of them 325 were girls under the age of 20. Out of the 325 girls, 20 tested positive, she added.
She also said that at least 3,507 new STI cases were recorded among males and females aged between 15 and above. “This then calls for intensifying efforts to educate people to prevent themselves from getting infected. “Hence, NACA and its stakeholders devised the districts HIV and AIDS Health Fair, as a way of reaching people with HIV and AIDS information and imparting the correct knowledge to people,” Kesegofetse added. She said that the Health Fair would not only cover HIV and AIDS.
She said it would also provide an opportunity for other health service providers to meet community members. “They would interact face to face with them and this would provide a learning opportunity on all aspects of health and lifestyle improvement.
“ The event will have a tagline, ‘testing and screening road to good health’,” she said, adding that the fair would target people of all ages and class.
Activities for the event would consist of: Official opening speech, School essays, Debate, Panel discussion, March, Aerobics, Music performance by local artists, Exhibitions by different service providers, Edutainment through drama, Choral music and poetry, Health screening and adjudication of stalls, and presentation of awards.
The event will be held at Newtown Primary School grounds at six in the morning. The programme will start with a march from Choppies Botalaote to the school.
Member of Parliament for Serowe North, Kgotla Autlwetse will officiate at the event and the public is encouraged to attend in larger numbers.