Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Dr. Medhin Tsehaiu
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Director Dr. Medhin Tsehaiu is optimistic that Zambia will meet the 90-90-90 UNAIDS /WHO target to eventually end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 within the sustainable development time frame.
Dr. Tsehaiu says Zambia has developed the national AIDS strategy framework 2017/2021 which has over ambitious targets.
She says in order to achieve this there is need for government and other stakeholders to work together to ensure that Zambia meets the 90-90-90 target.
Speaking during a media Breakfast Meeting in Lusaka today, Dr. Tsehaiu identified the media as key in ensuring that they held accountable all partners whether they are delivering what they committed to in the national strategy.
Speaking at the same event, National AIDS Council (NAC) Director General Dr. Reuben Mbewe has called on the media to invest more resources in information dissemination for decision making across the spectrum of the national development agenda, particularly in the realm of HIV and AIDS in which the misinformation is high.
Dr. Mbewe says knowledge leading to desired behavior change such as better health seeking behaviors, HIV infection risk reduction behaviors, dispelling of myths and other harmful practices cannot be achieved in the absence of the media.
And AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Country Program Manager Dr. Mabvuto Kango has observed that limited access to information and misinformation have been known to exist within HIV information networks and the media has the power to stop this harmful act.