Winstone Zulu
Encyclopedia
Winstone Zulu was a Zambia
n HIV
and tuberculosis
activist. Zulu, who became the first Zambian to publicly acknowledge his HIV status in 1990, was considered one of the world's leading HIV and AIDS activists. At the time, people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS faced widespread discrimination in Zambia.
Zulu was born in Lusaka
, Zambia
, in 1964. He was the sixth of his parents' thirteen children.
In 1990, Zulu made headlines by becoming the first person to announce his HIV status in the country. He became one of the first Africans to become involved in the AIDS crisis on a worldwide level.
Zulu was further diagnosed with tuberculosis
in 1997. Zulu lost four of his brothers to tuberculosis during his lifetime due to little access to anti-TB drugs, widely available in other countries. The deaths of his brothers and his own diagnosis led Zulu to focus his advocacy on behalf of tuberculosis patients and efforts to curb the disease. He explained in the late 1990s, "TB treatment gives patients more time. If my brothers had survived TB they might have lived long enough to access HIV drugs like me. They shouldn’t have died."
Zulu noted the link between HIV/AIDS status of patients and a diagnosis with tuberculosis. From 1997 to 2011, Zulu called for increased financial investments to fight the spread of tuberculosis, as well as TB cases directly related to HIV and AIDS. Former South African President Nelson Mandela
has spoken of Zulu saying, "There have been so few TB survivors who have stepped forward to share their stories. We need more advocates like Winstone to tell the world about TB and the effect it has on so many millions of people."
Zulu was taken to University Teaching Hospital
(UTH) in Lusaka
on October 11, 2011. He died from complications of AIDS at the hospital during the early morning hours of October 12, 2011.
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
activist. Zulu, who became the first Zambian to publicly acknowledge his HIV status in 1990, was considered one of the world's leading HIV and AIDS activists. At the time, people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS faced widespread discrimination in Zambia.
Zulu was born in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, in 1964. He was the sixth of his parents' thirteen children.
In 1990, Zulu made headlines by becoming the first person to announce his HIV status in the country. He became one of the first Africans to become involved in the AIDS crisis on a worldwide level.
Zulu was further diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1997. Zulu lost four of his brothers to tuberculosis during his lifetime due to little access to anti-TB drugs, widely available in other countries. The deaths of his brothers and his own diagnosis led Zulu to focus his advocacy on behalf of tuberculosis patients and efforts to curb the disease. He explained in the late 1990s, "TB treatment gives patients more time. If my brothers had survived TB they might have lived long enough to access HIV drugs like me. They shouldn’t have died."
Zulu noted the link between HIV/AIDS status of patients and a diagnosis with tuberculosis. From 1997 to 2011, Zulu called for increased financial investments to fight the spread of tuberculosis, as well as TB cases directly related to HIV and AIDS. Former South African President Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
has spoken of Zulu saying, "There have been so few TB survivors who have stepped forward to share their stories. We need more advocates like Winstone to tell the world about TB and the effect it has on so many millions of people."
Zulu was taken to University Teaching Hospital
University Teaching Hospital
The University Teaching Hospital is a hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. It is the largest hospital in Zambia, with 1655 beds. It is a teaching hospital and, as such, is used to train local medical students and nurses. UTH offers both inpatient and outpatient care and is a center for specialist referrals...
(UTH) in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
on October 11, 2011. He died from complications of AIDS at the hospital during the early morning hours of October 12, 2011.