In hotspot areas such as Tandale, key and vulnerable populations are most at risk of HIV infection. The World Health Organization and others define key and vulnerable populations as adolescents and young women, sex workers, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, transgender persons and prisoners.
As a health care provider in rural Zambia, nurse-midwife Michael Mweetwa Chinene struggled to stay current with evolving best practices in HIV and tuberculosis care.
“I have a very busy schedule at my facility,” said Chinene, who works in Mazabuka District in the Southern Province, “and it’s difficult to access learning opportunities.”
Yet, the clients Chinene serves—HIV patients with TB—require prompt and correct diagnosis, regular treatment and appropriate case management. Without the ability to get the latest information in patient management, Chinene said his “confidence to be able to provide specific services (for these clients) declined.”
In the years Jock Bol has worked to increase men’s access to a highly effective HIV prevention procedure, he has often been asked a profoundly personal question, “Are you circumcised?” Others inquired if Bol would have his young son undergo medical circumcision, which has been shown to prevent the spread of HIV. He hasn’t been shy about answering “yes” to both questions.
Bol, a trained health care provider, is forthright about his own family’s health because he feels strongly that his experience can lead others to understand the impact of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) in preventing HIV and to seek out the procedure for their own health.
