Trends in HIV/AIDS Voluntary Testing in Tanzania: A Case of Njombe Urban, Njombe Region

Abstract

This article presents and analyzes status and trends for people who were voluntarily tested for HIV/AIDS infections in Njombe Town Council in Njombe region. The analysis covers five year period between 2007 and 2011. This period was specifically chosen because it was in July 2007 that the government of Tanzania inaugurated a campaign for HIV/AIDS voluntary counselling and testing. Nevertheless, trends for the people who are using Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centres and the associated results regarding HIV/AIDS infections are not clearly established. The article utilizes data collected from three Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centres in Njombe Urban. Percentages of people infected with HIV/AIDS were computed using a calculator. Findings demonstrate that the number and percentages of people who were voluntarily tested for HIV/AIDS was increasing suggesting that over time more and more people were using voluntary testing and counselling centres (VCT). Interestingly, while the number of people visiting VCT centres revealed increasing trend, HIV/AIDS infections showed decreasing trend over the years for all of the VCT centres under consideration. Notwithstanding decreasing trend for HIV/AIDS infections, many people were living with HIV/AIDS particularly women. Overall, infections accounted for 6.5% at Njombe Health Centre higher than at Njombe Lutheran VCT centre and at Kibena Hospital, where both recorded 5.1% of people infected with HIV/AIDS. Controlling new cases for HIV/AIDS infections will help to re-direct resources to development initiatives at all levels. Therefore, concerted efforts are needed to curb further HIV/AIDS infections in Njombe urban and in Tanzania more generally.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, infection trends, urban Tanzania