NAC engages Nsanje people on HIV Act

National Aids Commission (NAC) has engaged people in Nsanje District on the 2018 HIV and Aids Prevention and Management Act.

Speaking on Tuesday during the training of stakeholders on the new law which became operational in June 2018, NAC HIV prevention and management coordinator Ellious Msukwa said many people were still not aware about the law; hence, the training.

He said: “We want people to know the Act as we have translated it from English to Chichewa, Chitumbuka and Chiyao languages. We will do more translations when we source more funding.

“Very soon, we will engage the media so that everyone should be aware of the Act as ignorance is not an excuse before the law. For example,a person will be fined K5 million or serve five years imprisonment if found guilty of violating the Act.”

Msukwa said the Act bans harmful cultural practices and other beliefs that fuel the spread of HIV.

“However, sections 26 and 18 of the Act prohibit testing of blood for securing jobs or conducting HIV test by force as a condition,” he said.

Nsanje District Aids Coordinating Committee chairperson the Reverend Welse Makwenemba thanked NAC for the training.

He said he will engage other stakeholders in the district to popularise the Act in remote areas.

Coalition of Women Living with HIV and Aids chairperson Marie Mtimabii said the training was important because it sought to promote the rights of persons living with HIV.

She said: “The Act seeks to promote the rights and privacy of people living with HIV. All medical practitioners who assist us should always keep it secret and not disclose to others our status.

“Companies should not discriminate or fire someone because of being HIV positiv