#Know Your Status

Monitor Editor | Monday December 3, 2018 11:30

Speakers at the event deliberated on a number of issues, with many if not all agreeing that, while Botswana has made progress with regards to HIV and AIDS response, there was still a lot that needs to be done, to reduce the prevalence, with the ultimate goal of reaching zero new infections.

This to some people may seem like an insurmountable task. Well, it is possible to realise the intended zero prevalence rate, but we need to use different strategies, in our fight against new HIV infections.

While government and other relevant stakeholders have worked extremely hard at disseminating information on HIV and AIDS, and educating people on ways in which an individual can become infected with the virus, the messages seem to be reaching some people, while other people appear to be ignoring this important piece of education.

HIV infection of course is not always an issue of irresponsible behaviour by an individual, but a considerable number of people seem not to care much about protecting themselves from infection.

The government has over the past three decades, tried hard to encourage behavioural change, more specifically sticking to one partner as well as using condom every time when having sexual intercourse, but only a few people seem to take the message seriously.

It is not uncommon to come across men or women who have a chain of lovers, all of who he or she practices unsafe sex with. 

Many of us have come across a man who fathers many children by different women, some actually very close in age, and we have also come across some woman, who got pregnant, but was not sure who the father of the child was.

These are some of the areas that should be tackled in our society. There is also another segment of the society who claim having ‘protected sex is like eating a candy without unwrapping it’: this is just an irresponsible statement, aimed at discouraging people from doing the right thing. Unfortunately, we do have people who will make sure that they lead others down the path of destruction, knowing quite well that the advice they give is totally wrong. While coming up with new strategies and campaigns, we also bear in mind, that the ‘one size fits’ all approach will definitely not work for all the segments of society.

We should also fight stigma and discrimination aggressively, and the two factors can discourage people from testing, and also disclosing their status to their partners. #Know your status so you can get the necessary treatment and support.