By Gerald Mambwe
HIV activist and mother Precious Kaniki, who has lived with HIV for a decade, has raised concerns over the lack of awareness and treatment accessibility in rural areas, citing misinformation and social challenges as major barriers to effective HIV management.
In a recent post on her official Facebook page, Kaniki expressed shock at the widespread misconceptions about HIV treatment.
She observed that many individuals are unaware of the importance of monitoring their viral load and the fact that people with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus.
“Retention in HIV care is a major challenge. Clients face fatigue, just tired of taking drugs even knowing the importance of being adherent,” Kaniki wrote.
“Living with other conditions they have to manage can be stressful, and long distances to health facilities and social isolation make it even harder.”
She also highlighted the distressing reality of teenage pregnancies, school dropouts, and young girls struggling to navigate life while living with HIV without adequate support.
“Imagine Liteta District Hospital in Chisamba of Central Province is just along the road, what about facilities in deep rural areas? How much information is actually available?” she questioned.
Kaniki emphasized that digital advocacy alone is insufficient, especially in communities where most people do not own smartphones. She called for grassroots level interventions to ensure that critical HIV related information reaches those who need it most.
Her remarks come amid ongoing efforts by health organizations to combat HIV/AIDS through awareness campaigns, but activists like Kaniki believe more needs to be done to bridge the gap between policy and rural healthcare accessibility.
According to the 2024 Demographic and Healthy Survey report, indicated that HIV knowledge is higher among both young women (51 percent) and young men (50 percent) who live in urban areas than among those who live in rural areas (33 percent and 38 percent, respectively).
-Lusaka Star