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Poor condom use in marriage ups infections
Perpetua Chikololere, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
August 30, 2010

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/local/26189-poor-condom-use-in-marriage-ups-infections.html

The young couple's joy echoed throughout the days leading to their marriage. Nokuthula Dube* (28), the new bride had dreamt of the special day her entire life.

They had been in love for a long time and marriage marked the beginning of their lives together. But unknown to the family and the new bride, the groom was hiding a modern-day secret till the time of his death: he was HIV positive.

The death of her husband and the spiteful father-in-law marked the commencement of her life as an HIV- positive person.

During a speech at the funeral, the father-in-law revealed the cause of the death of his son. It was AIDS. "When my father-in-law said my husband had died of AIDS that's when it hit me.

"That's when I decided to get tested and live a positive life for my unborn child," Dube said. "My husband never told me he was positive. I was having a series of miscarriages but we never suspected HIV to be the cause."

Dube's tale resonates with many young couples who thought marriage would protect them from HIV. Marriage once the safe haven for young couples has become risky due to the low condom use within it. Being married now contributes to the risk of contracting HIV, experts said last week.

"Not only men are cheating these days, even the wives are cheating increasing the high risk of HIV in marriages," Beatrice Tonhodzayi, the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) media programme officer told journalists at a recent briefing.

"The social organisation of infidelity is shaped by economic inequality, aspirations for modern lifestyle, gender disparities and contradictory moralities."

Married couples' greatest risk of contracting HIV is through having sexual intercourse with their partners. According to SAfAIDS and Population Services International (PSI), 46% of HIV infections happen within marriages.

Cases of cheating among couples have increased with some partners claiming that they do it because the other partner had been cheating.

Southern Africa is the region most affected by the pandemic worldwide with the HIV prevalence rates peaking at between 10% and 40 % of the adult population.

Zimbabwe is the only country in the region where HIV prevalence has declined substantially over the past few years.

Tonhodzayi said one of the reasons the rates had not fallen further was because condom use within marriages "is infrequent and often not used at all while rates of extramarital partners are high."

Forced sex and violence in marriages eliminates women's ability to negotiate condom use.

Around 18% of women in Zimbabwe are in polygamous marriages which further increases their chances of contracting HIV.

*Not her real name.

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