Mining cash drives STI wave in Binga community

Siansundu Clinic Nurse in Charge, Gideon Muzamba, says the facility is recording a steady flow of STI patients every month despite sustained health education efforts by clinic staff.

“We are in a community of artisanal miners, and you know their behavior,” Muzamba said. “When they go to the mines and get money, they have many partners. When they come back, they infect their wives and other girlfriends.”

Clinic records show between eight and ten STI cases every month, a significant figure for a rural health facility serving a small population. More worrying, Muzamba says, is the pattern of reinfections, with some patients returning within weeks of treatment.

“We treat someone, and in a month or two, they are back with the same condition,” he said. “That tells you behavior is not changing.”

According to Muzamba, while some community members are responding to education campaigns, a significant number continues to ignore advice from healthcare workers, fuelling repeated transmission cycles within households and the wider community.

“We are doing our level best to give health education,” he said. “Some are adhering, but others are very difficult to change.”

The clinic continues to manage cases through treatment, counseling, and outreach, but the persistence of high-risk behavior linked to artisanal mining remains a major challenge in containing the spread of STIs in the Siansundu area. – ZiFM Stereo News