Answers to FAQs
Q:
Why is the Thyolo District so severely affected by the pandemic?
A:
Several factors are responsible for the high incidence of HIV/Aids in Thyolo district:
Thyolo District lies on the main trunk road between Mozambique and Blantyre, the largest city of Malawi, and is therefore a main stopping place for truck drivers.
This district is the principal tea growing area of Malawi. Many of the tea pickers are single men from Malawi or from neighbouring countries.
Since Malawi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world, many men have gone to find work in South African mines, away from their families for long periods of time, who then return and infect their wives.
There is a local traditional practice of sexual cleansing rituals involving young girls.
Poverty forces girls, some in their early teens, into prostitution or early marriage
All the above factors have generated an HIV/Aids prevalence of 23% in the district, compared to the national rate of 14%.