Yesterday, Tanzania joined other countries to mark the World AIDS Day. The number of orphans in Tanzania is increasing, yet expectant mothers are given Nevirapine, which prevents the mother-child transmission of the virus. Do you think this is a wise move?

YES. I think the move of giving Nevirapine to pregnant mothers is a fair move. This is because we want this nation to continue. It is clear that the mothers will eventually die and in most cases the children will end up as orphans. But the children have their right to life. On top of that, donors are funding various programmes dealing with the care for orphans and a number of CBOs and NGOs have been sensitized on the importance of taking care of orphans.
Zitha Johannes – Social worker.

YES. I think it is quite fair for the government to provide Nevirapine. This is because of one fundamental reason – reducing the burden which would have otherwise chocked the government. I believe that taking care of an orphan is easier than taking care of an HIV/AIDS patient. If Nevirapine is not provided, that means we will have a lot of AIDS patients. On the other hand caring for an AIDS patient is more expensive as medicaments are needed, than caring for an orphan.
Dina Moses – Housewife.

YES. I am of the opinion that the provision of Nevirapine should continue and that it is a fair move. If the provision stopped, a big number of children would be born with HIV which can create a number of problems. The first problem is stigma. By the time the children starts school, their fellow pupils and some of the teachers will probably stigmatize them. This will lower their study morale and most of them will run away from school. There are a number of such cases which can be cited as examples.
Ramadhani Mtani – Educator.

NO. I think it is very unfair to provide Nevirapine to pregnant mothers in a country like Tanzania. The treatment can be provided in developed countries where facilities for taking care of orphans are plenty. Administering Nevirapine means breeding more orphans and the nation is already overwhelmed by their numbers. We depend on donor funding to take care of them. Do we really need more orphans?
George Justo – Businessman.

Compiled by Timothy Kitundu.