Aids-related deaths in South Africa: 2 485 451 at noon on May 21
In Swaziland the mystery of why people refuse to use condoms is slowly being unravelled. Aids activist and health motivator Hannie Dlamini and the National Emergency Council on HIV/Aids (Nercha) hope to get to the bottom of men’s attitudes to sexual health.
Swaziland’s first Demographic Health Survey, in 2007, found that 26% of sexually active Swazis were infected with HIV. Although almost 99% of survey participants said they knew about the disease, nearly half admitted having multiple sex partners and having sex without condoms.
Swazi men are eager to embrace anti-condom myths as a reason to reject what they consider a foreign and unnatural intrusion into their sex lives. Extramarital affairs were also a topic of discussion. Many men said sleeping with one woman all the time caused a loss of interest in sex.
Nercha, the ministry of health and social welfare and Aids NGOs will analyse the findings for possible ways to bring about behavioural change. — PlusNews