LUSAKA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Community-based HIV caregivers in the southern African country Zambia have been instrumental in the HIV/AIDS fight as the World AIDS Day is marked on Tuesday.
Their job, despite facing multiple challenges, is to assure the HIV-positive people that they can still live long and fulfilling lives provided they adhere to taking medication.
"Many are happy to undergo voluntary testing and counseling and start medication. However, along the way, some decide to stop taking the medicine. This is the main challenge that confronts caregivers and other community health workers," said Prsica Kaluba, an HIV/AIDS caregiver under Catholic Relief Services.
To date, some sections of the Zambian society still believe that if one has been on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for a long time, they become HIV negative. Meanwhile, a range of traditional and spiritual beliefs perpetuated by religious entities and traditional healers still hinder many from taking HIV drugs.
To counter these challenges HIV/AIDS, caregivers in Zambia have been conducting a series of outreach programs aimed at encouraging HIV-positive individuals to access a range of health care services and ensuring that they are consistent in taking medication.
Kaluba explains the lack of support from families and communities has also caused some HIV-positive individuals to stop taking HIV drugs. Some HIV-positive individuals have to walk long distances in order for them to get the medication from health facilities while others are swayed by myths and misconceptions about HIV treatment, which according to her remains rife in lower-income environments such as slums and rural areas.
"Sometimes people just get tired of the routine. That is why it remains important to encourage family participation in ensuring that a person that is on ART adheres and takes their medication on time every time," she said.
Kaluba who works with communities around Lusaka's Makeni area asserts that having more HIV-positive individuals adhere to medication will entail fewer deaths from the epidemic.
"Going forward, we need to ensure increased support from families and communities so that individuals on ART are encouraged to continue taking the medication," she said.
The World AIDS Day this year is commemorated under the theme of "Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact".
Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday pledged the government's commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. The Zambian leader said this was premised on the government's program of ensuring universal health coverage which includes ending HIV/AIDS by 2030. Enditem
