Kindly allow me to comment on Mr Piason Maringwa’s thoughtful and deeply personal article on World AIDS Day.
I commend Mr Maringwa for powerfully highlighting the lived reality of people living with HIV and for reminding us that the strongest voices in the HIV response must be those who experience it daily. His comparison between medical professionals and patients is particularly striking and accurate, those who live with HIV are not just beneficiaries of care but experts by experience and must remain central to policy, planning and public dialogue.
World AIDS Day continues to be a vital platform for hope, learning and collective responsibility. While medical science has made remarkable progress, stigma, fear and silence remain serious challenges. Until society fully confronts discrimination, manxy people will continue to suffer in silence rather than seek treatment openly and early.
The concern raised regarding disruptions in funding and access to medication is also valid and urgent. Communities living with HIV must be reassured that treatment will remain available and uninterrupted. Governments, partners and health institutions bear a moral obligation to protect access to life-saving medication and to communicate clearly and honestly with affected communities.
This article is an important reminder that fighting HIV is not only about medicine, it is also about dignity, truth, compassion and listening to those who live the story daily.
Yours faithfully,
Reverence Zimunya
