By Chisomo Phiri
The National Aids Commission ( NAC) have refuted reports circulating on social media platforms that they have recently released research findings purporting that 35 percent of students in public universities are living with HIV.
In a public statement dated November 25,2021, the commission’s corporate services and public relations officer Karen Iron Msiska says there is nothing of that sort and that the commission never conducted such research hence the one circulating on social media platforms is fake.
Msiska says the only recent and accurate statistics on HIV and AIDS they released are in the 2021 HIV Epidemiological Estimates for Malawi, covering the period to December 2020.
” A Snapchat of these estimates indicates that 28 percent of all new HIV infections ( including children) and 33 percent of new adult HIV infections ( 15 years and above) are among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-25 years.
These statistics were publicized through the local media as soon as they were released in July 2021 and are available on the NAC website: www. aidsmalawi.org.mw”, says Msiska in a statement.
Msiska has since warned that spreading false, misleading or inaccurate information on HIV and AIDS is a criminal offense punishable by law under section 25 of the HIV and AIDS ( prevention and management) Act number 9 of 2018.
He says the provision states that anyone found of the offence will be fined K5 million and imprisoned for five years in the case of an individual and K10 million in the case of a legal person ( institution).
Meanwhile, the commission has encouraged the public to verify any information on HIV and AIDS with NAC before spreading it.
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