Many Zimbabweans joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Aids Day on the first of December. The celebrations coincided with the recent decline in HIV prevalence amongst locals though the country still has one of the world's highest rates of HIV infection.

The National Aids Council (NAC) shifted from the global theme focused on leadership citing it is important for everyone to play a part to achieve behavioural change.

NAC had in stock- messages directed to young people in a bid to encourage them to contribute towards Aids prevention and care.

In findings recently released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the report 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update, Zimbabwe's HIV/Aids prevalence rate has declined from 18,1 percent to 15,6 percent over the past four years.

In a population of around 11.6 million, the rate has steadily decreased from 25.7 percent in 2002 to 21.3 percent in 2004, dropping to 17.7 in 2006.

Health expert and ex-Minister of Health, Timothy Stamps says all other ways of mitigating the horrendous effects of the spread of the virus, such as antiretroviral for the infected, secondary prevention (including PPTCT and consistent and correct use of the condom) expanded knowledge of the virus and its habits and characteristics as well as reproductive health are important.

"But if we can teach our children how to use our natural desires for the good of someone we love, I believe we can defeat the viral plague," he said in a message to mark World Aids Day.

UNAIDS and WHO are now working with better information from many more countries. In the past few years a number of countries, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, have expanded and improved their HIV surveillance systems, conducting new, more accurate studies that provide more precise information about HIV prevalence than earlier studies

"In addition, 30 countries mostly in Africa have conducted national representative population-based household surveys. These have also informed adjustments for other countries with similar epidemics that have not conducted these surveys. New assumptions have also been made as a result of a better understanding of the natural history of untreated HIV infection," says the 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update report.

The current estimate of 33.2 million [30.6 - 36.1 million] people living with HIV replaces the 2006 estimate of 39.5 million [24.5 - 47.1 million]. Applying the improved methodology retrospectively to the 2006 data, the 2007 report revises that figure, now estimating that in 2006 there were 32.7 million [30.2 - 35.3 million] people living with HIV. The single biggest reason for the reduction in global HIV prevalence figures in the past year was the recent revision of estimates in India after an intensive reassessment of the epidemic in that country. The revised estimates for India, combined with important revisions of estimates in five sub- Saharan African countries (Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe) account for 70 percent of the reduction in HIV prevalence as compared to 2006 estimates.

"Abstinence is now advocated by some, especially the religious right, as a way of avoiding Aids. But, unless you are underage, or want to take up holy orders, that is only part of the issue. In fact total abstinence can eliminate the human race quicker than any virus," emphasised Stamps.

The 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update report suggests HIV prevalence among young pregnant women (15 - 24) attending antenatal clinics has declined since 2000/2001 in 11 of the15 most-affected countries. Preliminary data also show favourable changes in risk behaviour among young people in a number of countries, (Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). These trends suggest that prevention efforts are having an impact in several of the most affected countries.

"In Zimbabwe, falls among pregnant women among the 15-24 year age group, shows a drop in HIV from 20.8 percent to 13.1 percent in just four years (2002 to 2006," indicates the report.

In sub-Saharan Africa, continued treatment scale-up and HIV prevention efforts are also bringing results in some countries, but mortality from AIDS remains high in Africa due to the extensive unmet treatment need. Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya and Zimbabwe, among others, have all seen downward trends in their national prevalence. Beyond sub-Saharan Africa, declines in new HIV infections have also occurred in South and South-East Asia, notably in Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.

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