News / Health
HIV prevalence higher at workplaces
01 Aug 2013 at 04:57hrs | Views
MATABELELAND South has the highest number of workers living with HIV and Aids with a prevalence rate of 21 percent, the National Aids Council (Nac) has revealed.
Bulawayo Province has an HIV prevalence of 19 percent, Harare 13 percent while Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, and Masvingo have 14 percent each.Head of human resources at TelOne Mr Britone Chitakunye recently said 17 percent of workers in the country were living with HIV and Aids compared to 13 percent among the unemployed.
He said there was a need to step up efforts that will scale down HIV prevalence at the workplace.
"According to the latest Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey report, HIV prevalence is higher among the employed at 17 percent compared to 13 percent among the unemployed.
"We will not attempt to answer why the world of work could be producing such statistics. This, however, reconfirms that HIV is a serious workplace issue that requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders," said Mr Chitakunye.
He said the high HIV figures at the workplaces were attributed to the lack of HIV advocacy at most workplaces across the country. "High levels of social and economic inequality, lack of information and awareness, lack of confidentiality and insufficient access to and adherence to treatment, increase the risk of HIV transmission and mortality levels.
"As businesses in the country, we need to come to a time when our staff should feel like we are cheering them on to better things when we get to understand and do something about their well being and livelihood," he said.
Mr Chitakunye urged companies' management to establish modalities that would tackle HIV and Aids at work.
"As HIV and Aids has become part and parcel of the challenges we have to deal with, it is important that we embrace and tackle the challenge, especially as the staff spends its greater part of the week at workplaces.
"We can create and have codes of conduct related to issues of stigma and confidentiality of health information. We can create or provide access to confidential HIV counselling and testing (HCT) facilities," said Mr Chitakunye.
More than 1,2 million adults and children were last year said to be living with HIV and Aids while an estimated 657 000 are on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
The country recorded 45 621 HIV related deaths in 2012.
Bulawayo Province has an HIV prevalence of 19 percent, Harare 13 percent while Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, and Masvingo have 14 percent each.Head of human resources at TelOne Mr Britone Chitakunye recently said 17 percent of workers in the country were living with HIV and Aids compared to 13 percent among the unemployed.
He said there was a need to step up efforts that will scale down HIV prevalence at the workplace.
"According to the latest Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey report, HIV prevalence is higher among the employed at 17 percent compared to 13 percent among the unemployed.
"We will not attempt to answer why the world of work could be producing such statistics. This, however, reconfirms that HIV is a serious workplace issue that requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders," said Mr Chitakunye.
He said the high HIV figures at the workplaces were attributed to the lack of HIV advocacy at most workplaces across the country. "High levels of social and economic inequality, lack of information and awareness, lack of confidentiality and insufficient access to and adherence to treatment, increase the risk of HIV transmission and mortality levels.
Mr Chitakunye urged companies' management to establish modalities that would tackle HIV and Aids at work.
"As HIV and Aids has become part and parcel of the challenges we have to deal with, it is important that we embrace and tackle the challenge, especially as the staff spends its greater part of the week at workplaces.
"We can create and have codes of conduct related to issues of stigma and confidentiality of health information. We can create or provide access to confidential HIV counselling and testing (HCT) facilities," said Mr Chitakunye.
More than 1,2 million adults and children were last year said to be living with HIV and Aids while an estimated 657 000 are on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
The country recorded 45 621 HIV related deaths in 2012.
Source - chronicle
