Marriage ups HIV risk

ABOUT 60 percent of new HIV infections in the country during the first quarter of this year have been recorded among people in steady relationships, including marriage.

The shocking statistic is contained in a recent National Aids Council (Nac) report, suggesting that more married couples are now involved in high risk sexual behaviour that was previously associated with single people.

Over the same period, sex workers, who are traditionally seen as involved in riskier sexual relationships, contributed only 10 percent to new infections, Nac said.

Statistics also show that the country recorded over 50,000 new HIV infections in adults during the second quarter up from 42,403 in the first quarter. Disaggregated data of new infections in the second quarter was unavailable.

Nac monitoring and evaluation director, Amon Mpofu, warned couples to desist from thinking that because their relationships were steady, there was no need to practise safer sex.

"Unlike in many countries where new HIV infections are driven by sex workers, men who have with men and drug abusers, steady relationships inclusive of marriages contributed more than half to our new HIV infections. There is still a high level of low risk perception among people who are married or are in steady relationships because both parties think they're not at risk," said Mpofu.

He said couples should consider using condoms all the time as they were at a higher risk of contracting HIV than in unmarried sexual partnerships.

"Sex workers and men who have sex with men only contributed less than 10 percent to new HIV infections despite the fact that many people think these are at a higher risk compared to everyone else. Couples who separate for a long time due to migration should abstain and cultivate behaviour of using condoms with their spouses because HIV is prevalent in marriages," he added.

The first signs that stable relationships were not safe enough from HIV infection started showing in 2009. Then, a Nac study revealed that 51 percent of new infections found in their research were from married couples and those who were in stable relationships.

The higher risk was attributed to multiple concurrent partnerships (MCPs) that gave rise to "small houses" between married men and women.

"Multiple concurrent partnerships are the number one suspect in the increase in prevalence in married couples," Population Services Zimbabwe said at the time.

"There's now cross generational sex and MCPs are the major drivers of Aids in marriages. Low risk perceptions are one of the most dangerous evils."

Mpofu said as long as people in steady relationships failed to realise they were at a higher risk of contracting HIV, the fight against the virus could be lost.

"I know it sounds unacceptable in our culture to think that a married woman is capable of cheating but the reality of the matter is sex workers have proven to be safer when it comes to HIV contraction because they use condoms," he said.

Mpofu also said Zimbabwe had achieved adopting WHO guidelines on CD4 count demarcation which has seen more people being eligible to receive anti-retroviral treatment.

Previously people got ARVs when their CD4 count got below 350.

WHO prescribes ARV treatment once the count goes below 500.