TRADITIONAL LEADERS SHOULD SUPPORT HIV/AIDS FIGHT

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:46:45 +0000

By Annie Zulu

CHIEF Chipepo of the Tonga people of Southern Province has called on other traditional leaders to cooperate with Government in the implementation of programmes to fight HIV/AIDS.

Chief Chipepo noted that Government would not be able to curb HIV without the help of traditional leaders, who should educate their subjects on how to prevent the spread of the disease.

“Despite all Government’s efforts, the challenges of the HIV-AIDS pandemic remain a serious threat to our survival as a nation and Government alone cannot tackle this problem.

“This is a societal challenge which needs all of us to find better ways of dealing with it. I call upon my fellow traditional leaders to actively become participants in the fight against HIV-AIDS,”

The traditional leader also said he was concerned over the majority of citizens who were becoming infected as a result of refusing to have protected sexual intercourse with their partners or checking their status.

He advised Zambians to ensure that they tested for HIV and protect themselves against the disease.  Chief Chipepo also urged Zambians to stop stigmatising people living with HIV, but ensure that they show them love and care.

 “We need to also fight HIV-AIDS stigma, one of the reasons we are not winning the battle against this disease is because of the stigma attached to it.  The stigma drives this disease underground, forcing people to hide their status even from their partners,” he said.