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Bindura Bureau
Drug abuse and use of intoxicating substances have been identified as a major contributor to the sudden increase in Human-Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence statistics among youths.
Following the trend, Health scientists and HIV /AIDS programmers in the country have embarked on a research programme in five of Zimbabwe’s provinces to validate the extent at which the menace is contributing.
Zimbabwe has not yet done any investigation pertaining to this thus the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network supported by the National AIDS Council (NAC) is going to carry out research dubbed “Situational Drug Use Analysis in Zimbabwe”.
The research which is already under way in Bulawayo is estimated to take at least three weeks in each of the five selected provinces.
Other provinces targeted include Harare, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland.
Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network Director, Wilson Box said they were targeting just five districts in each of the selected provinces.
In Mashonaland Central the exercise will be carried out in Bindura, Mvurwi, Mt Darwin, Mazowe and Shamva, due to the existence of illegal gold panners known for using drugs during their activities.
He said Mt Darwin was also targeted for its proximity to Mozambique where most illicit substances are smuggled from.
“We are targeting people who use drugs specifically, in their diversity thus both girls and boys, women and men in the research.
“What we want to do is to get to the bottom of illicit drug use in this country because the country has never done such research before. We have already trained our research assistants and their supervisors and we are targeting at least 400 drug users across the five provinces, 80 from each province.”
The organisation believes collected data will help policy makers and governments in HIV and Tuberculosis programming so as to come up with advanced treatment plans.
NAC Chief Executive Officer Dr Bernard Madzima said most of Zimbabwe’s new infections are amongst youths, mainly adolescent girls and young mothers.
“Youths, both boys and girls are also amongst the top users of drugs in Zimbabwe and are risking themselves to HIV exposure.
“Excessive alcohol consumption, notably binge drinking, can be an important risk factor for HIV because it is linked to risky sexual behaviour and among people living with HIV, can hurt treatment outcomes.”
Alcohol or other substances, such as, marijuana, Broncleer, Histalix, Benylin, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, amyl nitrite (“poppers”), prescription opioids, and heroin have been identified as being closely associated with transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
These create a cycle in which people quickly exhaust their resources and turn to other ways to get the drug, including trading sex for drugs or money, which increases HIV risk.
Identified channels that are likely spreading the virus include the injection which is used to inject drugs into the bloodstream thus giving the virus a clear route.
The injection/needle is shared by users who waive any precautions during the process.
People living with HIV are not recommended to use drugs and substances as authorities are convinced that this hastens disease progression, affects adherence to anti-retroviral therapy, and worsens the overall consequences of HIV.
According to the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network, the injection can be a direct route of HIV transmission if people share needles, syringes, or other injection materials that are contaminated with HIV.
They say drinking alcohol and ingesting, smoking, or inhaling drugs is also associated with increased risk for HIV prevalence and spread.
NAC believes these substances alter judgment, which can lead to risky sexual behaviours such as having unprotected sex without, having multiple partners and group sex orgies thus increasing HIV transmission. Nhau/Indaba
