OYO new issue of its magazine ‘OYO, young, latest and cool’ is now out. This issue deals with the theme ‘TB and other opportunistic infections’.
Much has already been said in OYO, young latest and cool about HIV and AIDS, so most of you know the basics. HIV is a virus that enters the body through unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner, through direct blood contact with the blood of an infected person, or from a mother to her child. You also know that once in your body, the virus attacks your immune system. Then, because your immune system is weakened, it is easier for diseases to attack you. In particular, it is easier for opportunistic infections to attack you.
But what are opportunistic infections?
To keep things relatively simple, we can say that an opportunistic infection is an infection that benefits from the fact your immune system becomes weak.
In Namibia, TB is a very common disease. According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ 2008/9 Annual Report, Namibia has the second highest prevalence of reported cases in the world. It is therefore a very important disease to know about. It was therefore important to find out about your level knowledge. While most of you know the signs (coughing, getting weak) and the fact that TB can be cured, some of you were hesitant regarding transmission. Yet the reality is quite simple: TB is air-borne – it is transmitted through the air you breathe.
Less has been said about TB than about HIV, maybe because it is a little simpler to understand the facts, maybe because it can be cured. However, it was felt important to allocate this issue of the OYO magazine to ‘TB and other opportunistic infections’.
The magazine is currently being distributed in schools in the Kunene, Erongo and Khomas regions. For more information on the magazine, you can contact us at info@ombetja.org
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