Posted by King Letsie III of Lesotho has appealed to the nation to stop engaging in extra marital relationships in order to reduce the risk of contracting HIV/Aids.
Speaking at the occasion to commemorate World Aids Day in Sehlabathebe, 400 km south of the capital Maseru on Monday, the King said according to the study conducted by the National AIDS Commission (NAC) earlier this year, 40 percent of Basotho are involved in extramarital affairs. At the occasion, 246 people from six villages in the Sehlabathebe area, one of the remotest areas in Lesotho, opted for voluntary counseling and testing to commemorate the World Aids Day.
The number included both men and women of which 226 of them tested HIV negative, while 20 tested HIV positive.
Activities of the day included a candle lighting ceremony and a moment of silence in remembrance of victims of HIV/AIDS, fun walk and speeches.
At least 23.2 percent of Lesotho’s population is infected with HIV/Aids, according to the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programmes of Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University in the USA.
World Aids Day is marked every 1 December in remembrance of people who died of the pandemic and to pray for those who already affected and infected.
Source African Press Agency
