Nkhata Bay district council cha i r per son Hannock Kachingwe has called for the abolition of harmful cultural practices that promote the spread of HIV in the district.
Speaking on Monday at Tukombo beach during the commemoration of the World Aids Day and International Candlelight Memorial, he blamed cultural practices of nthengwa imala, m’bulu umala cha (loosely translated as marriage can end but the two can still be having sex).
Kachingwe: They should undergo
HIV test. I Zondani Mbale
He said the cultural practice is prevalent in some parts of the district and is promoting the spread of HIV in the district.
Said Kachingwe: “This is a cultural practice that is old-fashioned and fuels the spread of HIV. Maybe it was relevant in those days but not now. Whosoever is still practising that should consider that there is HIV.
“One cannot get back to somebody one was 20 years ago as a partner. You never know where they went and if they are coming back to you, you have to ask yourself about what they are bringing to you. I suggest that they should be undergoing HIV test first.”
On her par t, Nkhata Bay South legislator Emily Chinthu Phiri appealed to the communities to desist from discriminating against people living with HIV and Aids in the district.
Nkhata Bay district director of health services Topcy Mdolo said HIV prevalence rate in the district stands at 6.9 percent.
National Aids Commission head of audit and risk management Pike Mtumbuka said this year’s commemoration targeted hotspots to help reverse the HIV prevalence rate in the country
