Campaign aims to ' Break the Chain' - by Wezi Tjaronda
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WINDHOEK â€" Namibia has embarked on a media campaign to break the chain of HIV transmissions driven by the practice of having more than one sexual partner.
Multiple and concurrent partnerships (MCP) has been identified as one of the key drivers of the epidemic.
The other drivers of the epidemic are inconsistent condom use, low male circumcision coverage, alcohol abuse, mobility and migration and low HIV risk perceptions.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on Friday launched the Break the Chain campaign under its Take Control National HIV/AIDS media campaign, which started in 1999.
The campaign will specifically address the risks of sexual networks and multiple and concurrent partnerships.
One out of every eight Namibians is infected by HIV. Even though the prevalence rate decreased from 22 percent in 2002 to 17.8 percent in 2006, authorities say a lot more should be done to drastically reduce the statistics.
Take Control campaign manager Fedney Kabunga said on Friday the HIV prevalence rate has been found to be high through sexual networks rather among those in serial monogamous relationships.
"When people have more than one relationship at a time or within a short period of time, large and dense sexual networks are created. In a sexual network, even a person that only has sex with one person can be connected through their partner and those partners' partners to many other people," he said.
More dangerous are that many people linked into a sexual network are unaware of the high risk and that others are involved in longer-term relationships where condom use is less likely.
Launching the campaign on Friday, Minister Joel Kaapanda said Namibia would only be able to break the vicious chain of the HIV and AIDS pandemic if "we are faithful and sticking to one partner or are abstaining".
He said the campaign not only explains the risk of sexual networks but also shows how to get off the networks.
According to the UNAIDS Country Coordinator Henk van Renterghem, there is need for a targeted approach that addresses the drivers of the epidemic.
"One lesson that we have learnt about HIV prevention over the last few years is that the blanket approach does not work," said Van Renterghem.
He said while MCP was one of the main drivers of the pandemic, it was poorly understood and rarely acted up with sufficient scale, scope and intensity.
He congratulated Namibia for again leading the way in setting new standards on how to tackle the issues of HIV prevention and its drivers head on.
USAID acting Mission Director Debra Mosel described MCP as the dry grass through which the bushfire of HIV races from one person to another.
"Together we must work to douse the flames before they claim another victim," she said.
She reiterated Kaapanda's words that unless Namibians join together to break the chain of MCP, the country will not be able to stop the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS.
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Multiple and concurrent partnerships (MCP) has been identified as one of the key drivers of the epidemic.
The other drivers of the epidemic are inconsistent condom use, low male circumcision coverage, alcohol abuse, mobility and migration and low HIV risk perceptions.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on Friday launched the Break the Chain campaign under its Take Control National HIV/AIDS media campaign, which started in 1999.
The campaign will specifically address the risks of sexual networks and multiple and concurrent partnerships.
One out of every eight Namibians is infected by HIV. Even though the prevalence rate decreased from 22 percent in 2002 to 17.8 percent in 2006, authorities say a lot more should be done to drastically reduce the statistics.
Take Control campaign manager Fedney Kabunga said on Friday the HIV prevalence rate has been found to be high through sexual networks rather among those in serial monogamous relationships.
"When people have more than one relationship at a time or within a short period of time, large and dense sexual networks are created. In a sexual network, even a person that only has sex with one person can be connected through their partner and those partners' partners to many other people," he said.
More dangerous are that many people linked into a sexual network are unaware of the high risk and that others are involved in longer-term relationships where condom use is less likely.
Launching the campaign on Friday, Minister Joel Kaapanda said Namibia would only be able to break the vicious chain of the HIV and AIDS pandemic if "we are faithful and sticking to one partner or are abstaining".
He said the campaign not only explains the risk of sexual networks but also shows how to get off the networks.
According to the UNAIDS Country Coordinator Henk van Renterghem, there is need for a targeted approach that addresses the drivers of the epidemic.
"One lesson that we have learnt about HIV prevention over the last few years is that the blanket approach does not work," said Van Renterghem.
He said while MCP was one of the main drivers of the pandemic, it was poorly understood and rarely acted up with sufficient scale, scope and intensity.
He congratulated Namibia for again leading the way in setting new standards on how to tackle the issues of HIV prevention and its drivers head on.
USAID acting Mission Director Debra Mosel described MCP as the dry grass through which the bushfire of HIV races from one person to another.
"Together we must work to douse the flames before they claim another victim," she said.
She reiterated Kaapanda's words that unless Namibians join together to break the chain of MCP, the country will not be able to stop the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS.
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