Fighting HIV/AIDS amid Myths

Last week, Malawi joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Aids Day which falls on December 1 every year. And speaking at the launch of the commemorations at Dowa Secondary School ground, President Bingu wa Mutharika said, and it is true, that Malawi is winning the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“We are winning the fight because the number of infections is declining…I expect this pandemic to end,” Mutharika said with an aura of conviction.
From the president’s speech, one could notice the desire, hope and zeal simmering in a leader wanting to catapult the nation into the world’s most comfortable zone. Surely, every well meaning Malawian would like to see Malawi winning the battle against HIV/AIDS.
But, it appears despite the commitments from government to put this deadly pandemic to a grinding halt, some people are still putting spanners in the war against HIV/AIDS.
For example, it is very sad and unfortunate that some people up to now still believe that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted and cured through some superstitious ways. Ever since the first case of HIV infection was reported in Malawi in 1985, some Malawians have struggled to shake off some myths on HIV/AIDS.
For instance, some people still believe that they can be cured of AIDS if they sleep with their blood relatives and more shameful with their children. This has resulted in the spread of HIV/AIDS to innocent lives and it is actually derailing the fight against the pandemic.
Even more moving to learn is also that some people are deluded into thinking that they are going to be cleansed of the virus if they use concoctions made from bodies of the challenged people like albinos and the mentally retarded. They thus end up harming the bodies of these people in a desperate attempt to save their lives.
Another shocking myth is that of engaging in bestiality to get rid of the deadly virus. The Malawian media has on several occasions reported on bestiality acts by some people across the country. When quizzed to explain their motives, these people, without batting an eyelid, say they wanted to get cured of HIV/AIDS. What a pity. What is the connection between getting cleansed of the virus and sleeping with animals? One would really be tempted to ask.
It appears therefore that some Malawians don’t want to believe that up until today there is no cure for HIV/AIDS and the only drugs that are available for Aids are the anti-retro viral drugs which unfortunately cannot cure Aids but just prolong the lives of those people living with the virus.
Obviously, this is why we hear time and again some herbalists claiming that they have found some concoctions, which they say, can cure Aids. In Machinga, for example, there was one Mr. Chisupe who drew much hullabaloo and popularity in the 90s with his famous ‘Mchape’ drug. Memories are still fresh of how people drove from far-flung corners of Malawi to be given a dosage of the concoction.
Then came Mr. George Kumbuyo from Mulanje with his Chambe drug and just recently we have heard a certain woman in Mangochi also claiming that she has found a cure for Aids. And sad to note is also the fact that many people are trekking to this woman hoping to get cured of the disease despite authorities proving that the drug does not cure Aids, as people given the drug are still HIV positive. Very sad indeed!
But, who is to blame? Obviously, the
herbalists are to blame for wanting to make money by cheating people that they have found the Aids cure. But I also think it boils down to the question of acceptance of ones HIV status. Many Malawians, it seems, don’t want to accept their HIV status after testing positive. They thus end up believing some senseless myths that result in the spread of the disease thereby undermining the government’s effort of reducing HIV transmission.
Perhaps it is now time that Malawians realized that being HIV positive does not mean the end of ones life. Elsewhere, in South Africa, for example, which has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world, many people after testing positive, accept their results and continue to live positively with their lives and end up living longer than expected. These HIV/AIDS myths will lead us nowhere!