New Vision (Kampala) - June 28, 2002
Patrick Luganda

The 'Radio disease' attacked Botswana with vengeful force. First it was a few isolated deaths in 1985. Soon the disease became the talk of the capital, Gaborone. Not that the strange disease was caused by radio active emissions but rather it was named after the medium through which it was first reported.

"People had not heard of the strange disease and when one suspected to have got the illness, people said the patient was suffering from the disease they talk about on the radio. Today almost everyone is aware of HIV/AIDS," says James Lesedi Mothibamele, Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on HIV/AIDS in Botswana.

Mothibamele a former minister of health in Botswana recently led a parliamentary delegation to study how Uganda is combating the scourge. The delegation met the Speaker of Parliament Edward Ssekandi and commended government for putting in place measures to prevent and fight HIV/AIDS.

"Our visit has been an eye opener. We have been able to see the countryside and meet the speaker of parliament as well as visiting researchers and organisations dealing with HIV/AIDS," said Mothibamele.

Botswana is currently ranked one of the four worst hit countries by the scourge globally. Despite having a higher GDP and superior health services than most African countries, it is struggling to halt the infection rate amongst the people.

"There has been strong political commitment here from the beginning which we are also aggressively embarking upon. There is also ongoing awareness campaigns through a multi sectoral approach that involves all sectors,"said Mothibamele.

Millions of condoms are offered free of charge to the public. In bars, toilets, offices and even in parliament, the condoms are placed in convenient places for people to pick up and use freely.

"I am in charge of distributing the condoms in parliament. For those too shy to get the condoms in a public place they can get them at the chemist shops. Mobile clinics distribute the condoms and free treatment to the people in the rural areas," said Mothibamele.

But there is still stigma directed towards people living with HIV/AIDS in Botswana although people living with the disease have started to come out and speak about it.

"We still have inhibitions with cultural leaders who blame government for proliferating the scourge because it encourages young people to use condoms," said Mothibamele.

One big leaf that the Botswana team is taking back home is to encourage the people to talk more about the disease. Inspired by the Straight Talk Foundation publications, the team said that there was an urgent need to start similar ones for the youth in Botswana.

"We are truly impressed by The Straight Talk, Young Talk and Teacher Talk magazines which openly tackle the issues regarding the disease in a unique manner. Our team will immediately recommend starting of similar magazines back home," said Rakwadi Modipane, a member of the delegation.

With a tiny population of 1.7 million living in a vast country of 582,000 square kilometers an estimated 300,000 of adults and 26,000 children under the age of five living with the disease, the prevalence is very high.

Estimates by UNAIDS show 36 % of adults (15 to 49 years old) are HIV-positive as of 2000 figures. The highest HIV prevalence rate is among 20- to 39-year olds. Although infection rates have stabilised in most age brackets, those for 34-42 range have kept rising.

"Our figures still remain high but the fact that they are stabilising except for the 34-42 years bracket is a small light at the end of the dark tunnel," said Mothibamele.

Figures available to the New Vision indicate that the mean age of death due to AIDS in Botswana is 25 in females and 35 in males. These are the most reproductive and economically productive years.

Some of the interventions could be a change in the social patterns of the population. Several people the New Vision interviewed at the Grand Palm Hotel and the President Hotel in Gaborone said that there was love for good life with thousands of visitors entering the country for tourism.

Rakwadi Modopane confirms that there is plenty of merry making and attributes it to tourism and the high disposable income at a GDP of $3200.

"There is a booming tourism industry which is the second highest earner of foreign exchange after diamonds," said Modipane.

Besides the high income the country has a very mobile population: "Botswana has one of the most mobile populations in the world, with people shuttling between cattle posts, land areas, large villages, towns and South African mines and farms.

This pattern of migration is a factor in the dynamics of the evolving co-epidemics of tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),"reads part of a UNAIDS country surveillance report.

The challenges to the war against the menacing disease in Botswana are enormous. The eye opening parliamentary team visit to Uganda could result in victory at one or two battle fronts to make a positive contribution to the overall war against the pandemic in Botswana.

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