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Speaking at the launch, Gobabis Constituency Councillor, Laura Mcleod, said it was unfortunate that some people do not believe that HIV is a problem. She added that due to lack of information, some people want to first see someone suffering from the disease before they could believe that HIV/AIDS is a reality. "There is still a stigma attached to AIDS in Gobabis, hence not many people talk openly about their status, let alone go for HIV tests," she said, adding that people who engage in risky behaviour such as alcohol and drug abuse should stop. She said people must start to openly talk about sex, violence against women and children, alcohol and drug abuse; have courage to break cultural silence on sex and its implication if the scourge of HIV/AIDS is to be reduced. "Breaking the silence will create an enabling environment for those already affected and facilitate opportunities for the prevention as we learn to protect ourselves,” the Councillor said. She said Namibians, particularly women and girls, will need the courage to say "NO" to unwanted and unprotected sex and the youth should delay becoming sexually active. The Councillor reiterated that people living with HIV/AIDS have the right to care, in an environment without stigmatisation, discrimination and they should not be condemned or accused but rather helped to overcome their difficulties. Speaking in an interview with Nampa, OHEP Programme Manager, Cordelia Zuavamwe, said a recent assessment survey carried out by her organisation found that people in the Omaheke region lacked information on HIV/AIDS. She said this has led to people not believing that HIV/AIDS is a reality, adding that as a result OHEP felt obliged to strengthen the Ministry of Health's efforts in fighting the deadly killer disease by conducting home-based care visits. Zuavamwe stressed that the community-based care programme will conduct visits in homes to counsel and encourage people with HIV/AIDS to live positively and it will later be used to spread the massage to convince the rest of the population. She said as an NGO, OHEP would help the Ministry of Health to improve its skills in dealing with the epidemic to enable the latter to continue with the programme even when the organisation stops its operations. Namibia is among the countries most affected by the AIDS pandemic. In Namibia, HIV prevalence among antenatal women increased from 3 percent in 1991-92 to 15 percent in 1998, according to UNAIDS statistics. From the 13 sentinel sites in 1998, HIV prevalence among antenatal women tested ranged from 6 percent to 34 percent. HIV prevalence among 15-19 year olds tested in all the sites, including Windhoek, increased from 6 percent in 1994 to 12 percent in 1998. Among 20-24 year olds, HIV prevalence increased from 11 percent in 1994 to 20 percent in 1998. Source:
Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services and UNAIDS
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