Gays hit hard by HIV/AIDS in Malawi

Mar 24, 2016 Health 144
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Malawi24
Tiwonge Chimbalanga & Steve Monjeza are a gay couple who were arrested and jailed to 14 years in Malawi

…there are over 40,000 gays in Malawi

Gays in Mulanje district have been hit hard by the HIV pandemic as close to 25% of the homosexuals are HIV positive, a study has revealed.

The revelations were made after Centre for Development of People (Cedep) conducted a study on HIV and social behavioural characteristics among gays in the district.

Cedep conducted the study on how gays are affected by HIV between June and September 2014.

The findings reveal that out of the 2000 gays, a percentage of 24.9% are HIV positive, something which Cedep says is an alarming rate and therefore calls the need for concerted efforts.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga & Steve Monjeza
Monjeza & Chimbalanga were arrested having come out as gays

According to Cedep Programmes Officer Rodney Chalera, it is high time that the special group of men who have sex with fellow men need to receive help in the continued fight against HIV in Malawi.

He said that health providers need to treat homosexuals just like other people that require the same attention, hinting on the need not to sideline homosexuals.

The call was also echoed by Dr Khuliyana Kabwere who said that health personnel need to equally treat every person affected by HIV without looking at their sexual orientation.

The study which was also conducted in other districts such as Blantyre, Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Mangochi, and Chikhwawa among others was funded by UN and the Department for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS.

Cedep’s revelations come hot in the heels of a heated debate on whether gays and lesbians are free in Malawi or not after a series of legal process clumped up the debate.

Years ago, media reports in Malawi quoted the Malawi Government as revealing that there are over 40,000 gays in Malawi but most of them operate underground fearing discrimination or threats that may befall them.