HIV

Botswana, like other African countries, has been hard hit by HIV. The government has taken a proactive role in educating the people and just this week the local paper MMEGI had 2 articles about it: Good news:HIV/AIDS infection rate drops - reporting that prevalence has dropped from 37.4% in 2003 to 32.4% last year with the highest reduction among the youth: Men have power over HIV spread -reporting on a True Men conference with a goal to be HIV-free by 2016.

As you can see there are billboards of different styles. Note that the free condom box was in the local library. Testing is free as are the drugs for dealing with it and there is a program called PMTCT, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission with 90% success, up from 83% in 2005.

The use of condoms is eroticised and the ones on display in the stores have names like Rough Rider, BareBack, Mr Big and FreedOm. The pictures on the packages match the theme. I have been told that instructors in the schools are very blunt. “Do you want to live or do you want to die? If you do not use a condom you will die!” This message appears to be getting across. We can only wish this country success in its fight against this scourge.