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First
Zimbabwean National AIDS Conference - June 15-18, 2004 : Report
summary
Compiled by Kubatana.net, Based on the UNICEF updates from the
conference
June 29, 2004
Download Acrobat
PDF files of the daily update
- First
Daily Update (192KB)
- Second
Daily Update (262KB)
- Third
Daily Update (242KB)
- Fourth
Daily Update (269KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Read
a selection of articles published by UNICEF and extracted from
the above files.
Nearly twenty
years after the first person in Zimbabwe tested HIV+, a coalition
of organisations came together to host the first Zimbabwean National
Aids Conference. The conference took place in Harare, from 15-18
June, 2004. The event, which attracted people from all walks of
life, was an opportunity for Zimbabweans to reflect upon the past
twenty years and examine the way in which the HIV/AIDS pandemic
has affected our society. Though this exercise some key recommendations
were made for the future. These recommendations were published in
the fourth daily update from the conference.
Conference
recommendations
Following
four days of deliberation at Zimbabwe's National HIV and AIDS Conference,
delegates had generated a number of recommendations they hoped would
serve as the way forward in fighting the disease. With Zimbabwe's
HIV and AIDS prevalence rate believed to have peaked at 26.4%, the
MOHCW officials are hoping to see the number reduce to single digit
figures within the next five years.
Several recommendations
were put forward, one being that if prevention was to continue as
the strategic focus in fighting the disease, interventions towards
this end would need to be stepped up. Specific activities include
the need to expand counseling and testing services, particularly
in the rural areas. However, to assist those already infected, improved
access to anti retroviral therapy (ART), as well as an uninterrupted,
cost-effective drug supply, improved resource capacity in all aspects
of the response, more comprehensive care procedures, and better
nutritional practices to reduce dependence on expensive treatments
were considered as essential.
Delegates also
urged that the disabled be included in all intervention strategies
and that services for women and children, especially orphans, be
made more available. Meanwhile, those people living with AIDS must
be involved in all aspects of the response, and more youth involvement
is necessary in all programmes targeting their well being. Greater
and more efficient coordination at all levels was also urged.
Additional recommendations
included the banning of polygamy and other cultural practices which
fuelled the spread of the virus, the establishment of a proper HIV
and AIDS policy in the workplace which should also apply to small
and informal businesses, a continued, more aggressive focus on fighting
stigma and discrimination, and the need to provide greater attention
to the disease within prisons.
The session
concluded with the understanding that formulating recommendations
were only of value if put into action. To make an impact, a proper
strategic plan of action that included regular updates of progress
and the dissemination of critical material reflecting current research
and new findings about HIV and AIDS to all stakeholders, was essential
to ensure progress is made towards battling the disease.
A
selection of articles published by UNICEF:
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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