Leaders urged to set an example in AIDS fight

DEPUTY Health Minister Petrina Haingura has implored fellow politicians to demonstrate their political will and courage in the fight against HIV-AIDS.

“We need to speak out openly and honestly about HIV-AIDS, and hold ourselves accountable for real results and progress,” Haingura told a regional conference on the pandemic at Keetmanshoop this past weekend. Haingura urged leaders in all spheres of life to take the lead in efforts aimed at curbing the spread of HIV-AIDS.”HIV-AIDS is probably the most serious leadership challenge facing all of us at this time, therefore we need to examine the ways that we can support responses to this challenge through our work, but we also need to look at ways in which we can lead by example,” the Deputy Health Minister remarked.Haingura strongly condemned the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV-AIDS, adding that this made people reluctant to go for testing and treatment.”Stigmatisation and discrimination are killing people because they are scared to go for the anti-retroviral treatment,” she added.According to Haingura, of 58 000 people living with HIV, an estimated 28 000 received anti-retroviral therapy last year, while 4 800 women received a complete course of treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission.She added that 76 000 people had completed the counselling and testing process.The regional conference was organised by People in Need – a non-profit organisation working for the socio-economic empowerment of communities affected by HIV-AIDS – and the U-Kai/Yelula Project, which works with communities and individuals in southern and northern Namibia to strengthen their resources and support their response to the pandemic.The conference is aimed at helping regional leaders to strengthen their contributions to HIV-AIDS prevention and to support those living with the disease.At the conference it was revealed that an estimated 19,6 per cent of Namibia’s population is infected with HIV.Among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 the estimated prevalence is 14,2 per cent.Haingura urged leaders in all spheres of life to take the lead in efforts aimed at curbing the spread of HIV-AIDS.”HIV-AIDS is probably the most serious leadership challenge facing all of us at this time, therefore we need to examine the ways that we can support responses to this challenge through our work, but we also need to look at ways in which we can lead by example,” the Deputy Health Minister remarked.Haingura strongly condemned the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV-AIDS, adding that this made people reluctant to go for testing and treatment.”Stigmatisation and discrimination are killing people because they are scared to go for the anti-retroviral treatment,” she added.According to Haingura, of 58 000 people living with HIV, an estimated 28 000 received anti-retroviral therapy last year, while 4 800 women received a complete course of treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission.She added that 76 000 people had completed the counselling and testing process.The regional conference was organised by People in Need – a non-profit organisation working for the socio-economic empowerment of communities affected by HIV-AIDS – and the U-Kai/Yelula Project, which works with communities and individuals in southern and northern Namibia to strengthen their resources and support their response to the pandemic.The conference is aimed at helping regional leaders to strengthen their contributions to HIV-AIDS prevention and to support those living with the disease.At the conference it was revealed that an estimated 19,6 per cent of Namibia’s population is infected with HIV.Among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 the estimated prevalence is 14,2 per cent.