By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Having a more loving, caring relationship with only one partner, could go a long way towards reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. This is the view of the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who spoke at the launch of the Take Control “Safer and Better Relationships” campaign in Windhoek last week. The objective of the campaign is to foster more open relationships that are based on trust and communication. This way couples can remain committed to one partner, thereby minimizing the high HIV prevalence rate. In her keynote address, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the campaign is thus geared towards finding solutions to problems in relationships by making them better and safer. “The campaign will discuss and initiate dialogue of these key qualities (of respect, honesty, responsibility and open communication) in the context of HIV/Aids, for example, how these qualities contribute not only to making relationships better, but also safer,” she explained. According to a recent report, the HIV prevalence ratio among pregnant women in Namibia has increased slightly. The 2006 National Sentinel Survey among pregnant women reveals that the overall HIV prevalence was 19.9 percent, representing an increase of 0.02 percent when compared to 2004 which recorded a rate of 19.7 percent. Health officials are concerned that this situation calls for more intensified efforts. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the high prevalence of HIV/Aids in the country is of concern to all relevant stakeholders as it “threatens to undo the gains since independence”. Thus, the recently-launched Take Control communication campaign is best seen to provide up-to-date information to change the way people engage in sexual behaviour. By evaluating the progression of the epidemic, special attention has been placed on the health-care needs of people living with HIV/Aids. All too often assumptions are made that the general public are well versed with the causes and consequences of the disease, but Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that there needs to be more awareness. “Many children who are now adolescents were not the original targets of public awareness campaigns years back, and thus do not have the information they need to take precautions when they become sexually active,” said the minister. Furthermore, the saturation of too much information on HIV/Aids leads to reducing the impact of these messages and causes people to “tune out” or forget what they have learned.