Zomba communities call for moonlight testing

Communities in Zomba District have asked authorities from the Ministry of Health to introduce moonlight testing in the country as one way of encouraging more people to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT).

The call was made on Friday at Gwaza Trading Centre in the area of Senior Chief Mlumbe in the district after an interactive film show which seeks to break barriers that prevent communities from taking control of their health.

The event, which was implemented under Make Art, Stop Aids (Masa) Project by Art and Global Health Centre, in collaboration with Dignitas International, combined film screening with live discussion.

Group village head (GVH) Mwangata commended the initiative which, he said, attracted many people that missed daytime counselling and testing to have the services at night.

He, however, expressed worry that stigma towards people living with HIV and Aids forces people to shun away from blood tests which increases the spread of the virus.

Fedson Chitumbu of Kutchini Village who went for moonlight testing, said the system provides for confidentiality.

Dignitas International’s adolescent and programme coordinator Brave Nyirenda said over 50 people were tested within an hour.

Masa project co-founder Sharifa Abdulla highlighted the danger posed when people shun HIV and Aids services because of stigma saying it only escalates the spread of the pandemic.

Masa is a screening media outreach project implemented with funding from Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (Osisa) which mobilises communities and local health care centres to address social, cultural and structural barriers and work together to make HIV services more accessible. n