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Virology research J 2017 Vol 1 Issue 2
Notes:
July 26-27, 2017 | Vancouver, Canada
WORLD CONFERENCE ON STDs, STIs & HIV/AIDS
allied
academies
M
alawi is among the countries worst affected by the HIV
epidemic. The number of People Living with HIV and
AIDS (PLHIV) is estimated at about 1,000,000 which includes
850,000 people aged 15 years and above and 170,000
children below 15 years of age. The most recent estimates
on the epidemic are based on modeling using the UNAIDS
SPECTRUM, which estimates the prevalence of HIV at 10.3%
indicating a slight reduction in prevalence from 10.6% in
20101. It was estimated in 2013 that 34,000 new infections
occurred in the year, including 7,400 new infections amongst
children aged less than 15 years2. Annual AIDS deaths were
estimated at 48,000, slightly less than half of what they were
at the epidemic's peak in 2004, at 99,000.This early decline
follows the natural course of the epidemic and was probably
also driven by a reduction of risky sexual behavior as the
population became increasingly aware of HIV as the cause for
the massive death wave the country experienced. Between
2000-2004, evidence strongly suggests that behavior changes
(e.g. increases in condom use, decreases in the proportion
of men having sex with more than one woman) contributed
significantly to decreases in HIV in Malawi’s epidemic.
Malawi health care services is majory hit by by in adequate
health care workers has resulted in to a tremendous HIV/
AIDS patients living in rural areas of Malawi who desperately
seek access to health care. In contrast, the ratio of traditional
healers is considerably higher, and represents a tremendous
opportunity to leverage existing community support
networks and resources for widening the current health care
worker in HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts. In this
paper, I propose using rapid assessment procedures (RAPs)
to create a fast, effective, decentralized participatory model
of engaging local traditional healers with state health care
service providers to enhance access to ARVs for HIV/AIDS
patients living in rural areas of Malawi.
The feasibility of integrating traditional healers in HIV/AIDS
interventions in Malawi needs to be seriously investigated
based on the results in our SubSarhara African countries.
Traditional healers are a vast untapped source of human
capacity. If trained and educated in a participatory
collaborative manner with biomedical health practitioners,
they could complement and strengthen the HIV/AIDS
prevention, control and care services in Malawi. As shown,
traditional healers are more than eager to improve their
comprehension of HIV/AIDS treatment and are motivated to
participate in rural areas where patients are most difficult
to reach. Furthermore, traditional healers have proven
themselves, in many studies throughout SubSaharan Africa,
tobeworthyallies andwouldgreatlyassistMalawi's strategies
to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS infection and provide much
needed human resource support for ARV adherence and
compliance. The success of integrating traditional healers
into Malawi's HIV/AIDS National Action Framework, will
require the support and acceptance of policymakers, public
health officials and international donors. Active participation
of community innovations, cultural leaders, the formal and
informal segments of the private sector, Community Based
Organizations, PLHIV and community groups is needed to
complement the efforts of the public sector in finding the
cure for HIV.
e:
feromalawi@gmail.comThe use of local herbals to enhance STD and HIV/AIDS management in rural Malawi
Walusungu Trevor Nyasulu
Foundation for Equal Rights and Opportunities(FERO),Mzuzu Malawi