8 minute read
World AIDS Day 2022
By Jamie Morris
World AIDS Day has taken place every December since 1988 – here’s why its 35th iteration is just as important.
Every year without fail on 1st December, people from all over the world come together to stand in solidarity with people living with HIV, and to pay their respects to those who have died from AIDSrelated illness. Founded in 1988 by James Bunn and Thomas Netter, World AIDS Day was the first ever internationallyobserved day focused on people’s health. At the time, 1st December was decided upon as the optimal day for western media attention due to it falling between the US presidential election (won by George H. W. Bush) and the Christmas holidays, and it’s been held on the same day ever since. Over the decades, the day has massively boosted public awareness of AIDS, with the likes of the President of the United States and the Pope making statements to kickstart discussions around AIDS and HIV every year. Knowing the meanings of and the distinction between these two terms is key to understanding the goals of World AIDS Day. HIV stands for ‘human immunodeficiency virus’, and weakens the body’s ability to fight everyday infections and disease by damaging the cells in the immune system. AIDS, on the other hand, is the acronym for ‘acquired immune deficiency syndrome’, and describes a number of life-threatening infections and illnesses that can occur if your immune system has been compromised by HIV. With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and can live a long, healthy and happy life. However, many people around the world still face social and economic barriers to treatment – something highlighted by healthcare inequalities during the pandemic – which is why the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is ‘global solidarity and shared responsibility’. This World AIDS Day, everyone from grassroots community activists to governments and faith leaders are being urged to join the fight to ensure that health systems are fully-financed, testing and treatment is made more accessible, human rights are respected and gender equality is recognised. The United Nations aims to eliminate AIDS as a public health problem by 2030 by preventing HIV transmissions. The figure it’s using as a goal is ‘90-90-90’, which refers to making sure that: • 90% of people living with HIV are diagnosed • 90% of people who are diagnosed receive effective treatment • 90% of people receiving treatment are unable to pass on
the infection to others People being treated for HIV whose levels of the virus are undetectable for at least six months are unable to pass the infection on. HIV is not as easily transmitted as cold and flu viruses or Covid-19. Saliva, sweat and urine do not contain enough of the virus to infect someone, but semen, vaginal fluids, blood, breast milk and the lining inside the anus do. Therefore, most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. People who are at risk of contracting HIV include men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and anyone with a HIV-positive partner. In addition, Black heterosexual people and migrants to the UK may also both be at risk. Symptoms of HIV may not appear for years after transmission, so the only way to find out if you have it is to get tested, which is a service provided to anyone free of charge on the NHS. If you discover you don’t have HIV, but are still at risk of contracting it, you could be eligible for a free prescription of pre-exposure HIV prophylaxis – or PrEP, for short – which is a small, blue tablet that protects from transmission. Whether it’s by making the decision to get tested yourself, supporting a friend or helping to raise awareness more broadly, there are many ways to get involved on World AIDS Day. You can also make a donation online and stand in solidarity by wearing a red ribbon. Whatever you do, make it count. Find out more at worldaidsday.org and yoursexualhealthmatters.org.uk
TAPPING INTO INSECT FARMING TO CLEAR ZIMBABWE’S URBAN WASTE
By Farai Shawn Matiashe
Farmers are turning to vermiculture farming to deal with Harare’s uncollected garbage problem and to produce affordable livestock feed, writes Farai Shawn Matiashe for Next City.
On a sunny and windy morning, Brighton Zambezi scooped up a kilogram of black soldier fly larvae into a box. In a few days, he’d dispatch them to a farmer in neighboring Botswana. The agricultural entrepreneur breeds these insect larvae – wormlike creatures that eventually become adult insects – at the back of his mother’s house in Sunningdale, a high-density suburb in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare. “I expect to send the larvae across the border anytime this week to a farmer who wants to start black soldier fly farming,” says Zambezi, a 38-year-old single father. Black soldier flies are harmless insects that are attracted to decomposing waste. They can be found in dumping grounds and urban landfills, but they can also be found at illegal dumpsites in residential areas with uncollected garbage such as Sunningdale, where Zambezi collected the larvae he put in a small cage when he kick-started this maggot project back in 2019. A technician by profession, Zambezi developed an interest in insect farming after overhearing a conversation between his seatmates on a flight to neighboring South Africa. After researching the process further, Zambezi became convinced that insect farming would help tackle various problems his community was facing, from uncollected garbage to a lack of affordable high-protein feed for chicken and fish. Now, Zambezi travels to nearby countries, including Botswana and Mozambique, to help people set up black soldier fly stations at their farms. Uncollected garbage is a menace in Harare. There is inconsistency in garbage collection by city authorities, particularly in high and medium-density suburbs forcing residents to find alternative places near their houses to dump the garbage. Yet for humans, decomposing garbage is a health hazard, forming a breeding ground for deadly diseases such as cholera and typhoid. The removal of garbage from these dump sites also cuts down on methane and carbon dioxide emissions produced by decomposing waste. Zambezi feeds these insects, housed in different trays and recycled containers under a black net, with vegetable and fruit waste he collects from dumpsites in his neighbourhood. Under this net, there are shrubs and weeds where black soldier flies lay eggs after mating. After five days, the eggs hatch into maggots – the wormlike, juvenile form of the fly – which are then harvested and sold as cheap and protein-rich feed for farm animals. Zambezi runs a small poultry project in the backyard. “The larvae are fed straight from harvesting to animals like fish or chicken,” he tells Next City. “It has a natural protein content of about 60% compared to other feeds like soya.” Some people even consume these insects due to their high protein. “Insects are our future food innovation,” Zambezi says. “It runs throughout the year and does not get disrupted by climate change. With the right equipment, black soldier fly farming flourishes even in winter.” Ultimately, Zambezi aims to become a commercial insect farmer. “If proper land is provided, I am going to be one of Zimbabwe’s first commercial black soldier fly farmers,” he says. So far, he has not received any support from the government, nor has he secured any corporate partnerships or bank loans. But the Zimbabwean government has publicly noted black soldier fly farming’s potential to transform local livestock feed formulation. Agronomist John Basera, Permanent Secretary in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, tells Next City that black soldier fly farming has full support from the government. “It is a noble program. We just need to look at how scalable it can be,” he says.
RECIPE: MUM’S BANANA BREAD
By Tristan Best
Why not start the new year by learning to bake this delicious family banana bread recipe? Ingredients
• A teaspoon of vanilla essence • 2 cups of self-rising flour (a teacup) • 1 cup of sugar • 3 ripe bananas • 1 egg
Equipment
• A skewer • A whisk • A jug/mixing bowl • A loaf tin 1. Turn your oven on to gas mark 180°C and preheat in order to cook banana bread evenly. 2. Get a jug or mixing bowl and add your peeled bananas and sugar, then whisk on full speed until the ingredients are in a liquid state. 3. After you’ve done this, add your egg and vanilla essence. 4. Whisk again until mixture is fine and add a cup of flour till the mixture becomes thicker. This will need 2 cups but adjust your mixture slowly to get the best results, a smooth consistency is the aim. 5. Next, get your loaf tin, and lightly butter it to avoid your banana bread from sticking to it. Add your mixture. 6. You may want to add nuts, dates, coconut or anything else to the mix that suits your preference. 7. Bake the banana bread for 45 minutes and keep an eye on it. 8. When you see a golden brown loaf, put your skewer in. If the skewer is clean when you take it out, it’s done! If any cake is still on the skewer, bake for a short while longer. 9. Enjoy! It’s nice plain, but my family likes a light touch of butter to add another dimension.
