A LUSAKA-BASED professor of public health and tropical medicine, Kumar
Baboo, is concerned about the continued rise in the number of young
people living with HIV and AIDS.
Doctor Baboo cited young people as those aged between 12-19 years old
and attributed their living with HIV and AIDS to unprotected and
indiscriminate sex.
Making a presentation during the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication
(ZAMCOM) science café on the status of HIV/AIDS response in Zambia, Dr
Baboo wondered why young people who are still in school are engaging in
sex at a tender age.
ZAMCOM’s science café is sponsored by AVAC to accelerate the ethical
development and global delivery of HIV prevention tools as part of a
comprehensive and integrated response to the epidemic.
“What is expected of these young people is to focus on their studies
instead of engaging in indiscriminate sexual behaviour. Actually the
large uptake of condoms is among young people but they do not know how
to use them; that is why often they end up being infected with HIV,” he
said.
And Dr Baboo challenged young people to claim ownership over the
voluntary medical male circumcision as it has potential to prevent over
six million new HIV/AIDS infections.
“One male circumcision done prevents six new HIV/AIDS infections and
cervical cancer in women. If we carry out more interventions, it means
we are on the right track in our fight against HIV/AIDS,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Baboo noted that lack of uniformity in laws and policies
in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and gender
inequalities.
He said all institutions in the country have different views regarding
GBV and gender inequalities resulting in failure to end the scourge.
“Equality is mandatory in most government institutions but when you go
into the church, women are expected to be submissive and cannot take a
leading role, so laws and policies are not uniform,” he said.
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