by Mukundi Mutasa -SANF 05 no 21
The SADC region has stepped up its efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among people living with HIV and AIDS.
Focus has been directed towards making nutrition a top priority in dealing with the pandemic and other chronic diseases.
Emphasis is being put on the fact that although the virus can weaken the immune system, it is possible to strengthen it by practicing healthy eating habits. This includes indigenous unrefined foods, which are rich in all nutrients that are needed to strengthen the immune system.
In southern Africa, where the majority of HIV and AIDS patients lack access to anti- retroviral drugs (ARVs), traditional nutritious foods are the best way to boost immunity. Even where ARVs are available, a healthy diet is essential to its use.
According to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, a combination of the right medication and good nutrition “strengthens the immune system, manages other opportunistic infections and slows the progression of HIV and AIDS.”
Health experts believe that insufficient dietary intake leads to muscle wasting which in turn increases viral replication and quickens the progression from HIV to AIDS.
Governments in the SADC region recognise the need for a concerted effort in promoting healthy eating habits. Efforts are being made to strengthen the advocacy for nutrition programmes and the provision of resources necessary for promoting good health and disease prevention.
About 14 million people in the region are HIV positive, with 92 percent of transmission being heterosexual and seven percent mother-to-child transmission. The AIDS pandemic has orphaned about six million children aged 0-17 years in southern Africa.
SADC member states have, however, continued to pursue and strengthen strategies in the fight against poverty and HIV and AIDS.
“We have now completed the strategic five-year business plan (2005-2009) for the implementation of the SADC Strategic Framework and Programme of Action for combating HIV and AIDS in the region,” said SADC Executive Secretary, Prega Ramsamy, in his 2004 end-of-year media briefing.
The region is also guided by the Maseru Declaration on HIV and AIDS made by SADC heads of state in July 2003. The declaration emphasises the need to accelerate development and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS by “harmonising policies and strategies and undertaking joint programmes in the priority intervention areas including prevention, treatment, care, support, nutrition and food security.”
In view of the value of nutrition in extending the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS the SADC Health Ministers held a Consultative Meeting in Johannesburg in 2003 to highlight the importance of nutrition in fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Traditional foods, however, remain shunned by many young people in society. The challenge is to break away from these preconceptions that suggest that traditional foods are inferior.
Delegates attending the inaugural Zimbabwe Food Fair held in Harare in early 2005 stressed the importance of nutrition through the theme “promoting a diversified diet for better nutrition and health.”
The fair, the first of its kind in the country, is a result of discussions and intense lobbying on this topical issue in an effort to fight the spread of chronic diseases and shows the zeal to implement the recommendations from the SADC Health Ministers Consultative Meeting.
The food fair, which was officially opened by Vice President Joyce Mujuru, will become an annual event. It was co-organised by the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) and the Food and Nutrition Council (FNC).
The major objectives of the fair include:
- Showcasing of a vast range of locally available wholesome foods in order to raise the public’s awareness on their nutritional value in the diet;
- Fostering the interaction of the different stakeholders in the food chain, from production through processing, preservation, preparation and consumption;
- Showcasing the value of indigenous foods in disease prevention and management; and
- Inculcating a sense of national pride in our indigenous cuisine.
(SARDC)
