Zimbabwean men have been urged to support their spouses in the implementation of Prevention from Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT), which is still lagging behind other programmes on HIV and Aids.
Report by Phyllis Mbanje
Male involvement in the programme has always been an issue since the introduction of the programmme, as most men continue to shun it and leave it for women to deal with alone.
SAfAids programmes manager, Dominica Dhakwa recently called on men to support their spouses in ensuring that the programme became a success.
Speaking at a workshop recently, Dhakwa said men were still not participating as they should and this had slowed down the programme.
Past research findings have revealed that stigma continues to affect mostly men who are still not fully involved in PMTCT programmes and yet the success of the strategy is rooted on combined efforts from both men and women.
SafAids is currently implementing a five-year national programme to help eliminate new infections in children and improve the survival of mothers.
Meanwhile, media personnel have been urged to advocate for male circumcision in eradicating new HIV infections.
This was said at another workshop in Chinhoyi by the Ministry of Health’s advocacy and communications officer, Brian Nachipo.
He said last year only 40 755 males were circumcised, against an expected annual target of 100 000 males. He said if 80% of men were circumcised by 2015, the country could save US$2,9 billion by 2025 and would have averted 600 000 new infections.