Category: HIV/AIDS

Zimbabwe’s HIV/AIDS Stigma Jumps to 69.7 Percent…Key Populations affected the most

Michael Gwarisa

WHILE Zimbabwe is on track to attaining the  UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, rising incidences of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and sub population groups could derail the gains achieved so far. By Michael Gwarisa This was revealed during the launch of the Zimbabwe Stigma INDEX 2.0 Report in Harare where findings indicated that the overall stigma and discrimination in Zimbabwe was currently sitting at 69.7 percent, compared to 65.5 percent recorded in the 2014 Stigma Index report. According…

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Decolonising HIV Research through the MATRIX

Michael Gwarisa

FOUR decades ago, the HIV virus was discovered and since then, millions of lives have been lost as a result. With no cure in sight as yet, a number of innovations have been developed to either prevent and or reduce chances of getting infected with the HIV virus. By Michael Gwarisa This has seen cases of new HIV infections and deaths reducing and now more than ever, People Living with HIV (PLHIV) live long and fulfilling lives just like anyone else. The number of children being born with HIV has…

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Zim readies incorporation of Cabotegravir into local PrEP guidelines

Kuda Pembere

FOLLOWING the approval for use of Cabotegravir (CAB-LA) in Zimbabwe by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) last year, the country is expected to have incorporated the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of this long-acting HIV preventive method into its own HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in June. By Kudakwashe Pembere That the WHO guidelines would be incorporated into Zimbabwe’s was revealed by renowned HIV Prevention expert Dr Nyaradzo Mgodi last week in a media science café organized by the Health Communicators Forum (HCF). Zimbabwe is the first African country to…

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Zimbabwe ICASA Preparations Reach Crescendo

Kuda Pembere

With about nine months to go to this year’s edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), the event’s director Dr Luc Bodea says he is impressed by the progress Zimbabwe has made already with regards to  preparations. By Kuda Pembere Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the on-going International Steering Committee meeting, ICASA director Luc Armand Bodea said the country is progressing well on course with its preparations. We can tell you that at this stage we are at 50 to 55 percent ready…

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Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Ban To Reverse HIV/AIDS Gains Says PEPFAR

Michael Gwarisa

THE recently appointed leader of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Ambassador Dr. John N. Nkengasong says the recent move by the Ugandan government to pass a bill that makes identifying as LGBT a crime punishable by death, was not only inhuman but jeopardizes HIV efforts. By Michael Gwarisa According to results of the 2020 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), the current prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15 to 49 years in Uganda is 5.5 percent. However in Uganda, it is estimated that  there are…

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NAC in major cancer fundraising boost

Michael Gwarisa

The National AIDS Council has intensified the drive to fight cervical cancer as part of its broader effort to contain new HIV infections and end AIDS by 2030. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking in an interview with HealthTimes on the sidelines of the this year’s eventful Zimbabwe Ladies Golf Union Stroke Play Golf Tournament, NAC Chief Executive Officer Dr Bernard Madzima said the target was to raise plus or minus US$100,000 from the fundraising event. NAC Pro-am golf tournament kicked off on Tuesday and the professional tournament also kicked off on…

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Zimbabwe women bear the brunt of Ageing & HIV

Michael Gwarisa

Jennifer Julliet Mugonda (51) stays in Patchway, a farming community in Kadoma, Mashonaland West province. She is married and has four children. In 2009, she tested positive for HIV. A year later she was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) and got initiated on treatment. By Michael Gwarisa Since 2009, Jennifer has been battling a number of HIV related opportunistic infections including Cervical Cancer. In her own words, Jennifer says she feels like the walking dead as she has failed to get cancer treatment and is now faced with the Sisyphean task…

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‘It’s been 20 Years of Saving Zimbabwean Lives’: PEPFAR’s Carey Speaks on 20 years Anniversary

Michael Gwarisa

THE year 2023, January 28 to be precise, marked exactly 20 years since American President George W. Bush announced the creation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (#PEPFAR) during his State of the Union address.  The new initiative included the goal of providing HIV treatment to two million people living with HIV over five years with a budget of USD$15 billion dollars.  This was the birth of PEPFAR, now the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease. The new initiative included the goal of…

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SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF: How AWET Health interventions have reduced home deliveries Among Apostolic Women and Girls in Shurugwi

Michael Gwarisa

Caroline Ngosha (23), from Shurugwi is expecting her third child in a few months’ time. In both her previous pregnancies, she delivered her children at home in line with the dictates of her religion, a white garment apostolic sect. Some apostolic sects in Zimbabwe do not allow their followers to use family planning or contraception methods. Neither do they sanction female followers to register with the Anti Natal Clinic (ANC), later on deliver in a health institution. By Michael Gwarisa in Shurugwi She remembers vividly how life threatening giving birth…

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Gweru Sex Workers Pose as MSU Students To Get Sex Clients As Competition Gets Tough

Michael Gwarisa

IN a few weeks’ time, the Midlands State University (MSU) will resume classes, and sex workers in Gweru are already fretting over the period as they fear finding themselves in the old profession’s relegation zone. Amongst sex clients, sleeping with a University student is a huge flex and status symbol. By Michael Gwarisa recently in the Midlands Province  This is also the trend in Zvishavane where the MSU has also established a campus. A few years ago, an MSU official told a parliamentary portfolio committee that Sex Workers from Zvishavane…

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