Category: HIV/AIDS

New Y+ Global and Her Voice Fund Strategic Plans Launched

Michael Gwarisa

THE 2022/25 Y+ Global and Her Voice Fund strategic documents which will be used to inform Y+ Global’s  approach to all areas of work including building networks, advocacy programs, fundraising, administration and partnerships have been launched. By Michael Gwarisa The HER Voice fund initiative was created in recognition of the vital role adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) have in driving and shaping the HIV response. The two new strategic documents were developed in close collaboration with a number of Y+ Global partners, stakeholders and the diverse communities of young…

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150 000 New HIV infections Recorded Among Children In 2020

Michael Gwarisa

THE Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) says most of the 150 000 new HIV infections recorded among children in 2020 could have been prevented if interventions targeting the most affected groups had been implemented. HealthTimes Reporter According to the UNAIDS weekly update, a strong start would be to better engage women and girls at significant risk of acquiring HIV infection in integrated antenatal care and HIV services, including HIV prevention and testing, delivered at the local level, and to ensure that those who are HIV-positive receive…

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NAC In Drive To Scale Up HIV Treatment And Testing Coverage In Males

Michael Gwarisa

THE National AIDS Council in Zimbabwe (NAC), has devised a number of strategies to bring men and boys on board, with the aim of increasing HIV treatment and testing coverage in males. By Michael Gwarisa The development comes in the midst of indications that globally, men continue to lag behind across the HIV testing and treatment continuum. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) special analysis of 2021, globally, the testing and treatment targets for 2020 were almost reached among adult women (15 years and…

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UNAIDS Mourns Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Michael Gwarisa

UNAIDS says it is saddened at the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who fought against apartheid in South Africa and combated racism and injustice worldwide and was also a powerful voice in the fight against AIDS, combating denial, demanding access to treatment for all, calling out against discrimination of people living with HIV, and championing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, women, and children. A giant has fallen. Archbishop Tutu was a freedom fighter, a holy man, a great hero who played a history-shaping role in…

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ZAN and Partners Move To Address Structural Barriers Facing Key Populations In Accessing Health Services

Healthtimes

A consortium running under the banner ZIZIWAZI, which comprise of the Zimbabwe AIDS Network (ZAN), the National AIDS Council (NAC), Health Foundation Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Rainbow Community and others,  has embarked on a five year engagement program with the aim of addressing challenges faced by populations at higher risk of HIV in accessing health services. By Patricia Mashiri Key populations or groups at high risk of HIV in Zimbabwe include Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and other members making up the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ)…

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First Injectable Treatment for HIV Pre-Exposure Prevention Approved

Healthtimes

THE United States (US) Food and Drug Administration approved Apretude or use in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilograms (77 pounds) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV. Apretude is given first as two initiation injections administered one month apart, and then every two months thereafter. Patients can either start their treatment with Apretude or take oral cabotegravir (Vocabria) for four weeks to assess how well they tolerate the drug. Own Correspondent “Today’s approval adds an important tool in the effort to…

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Drug Resistant Gonorrhea Variant Hits Zimbabwe…Country Running Out Of Treatment Options

Michael Gwarisa

THE Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as gonococcus, the bacteria that causes Gonorrhea, a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), has since developed resistance to available treatment options in Zimbabwe, raising fears of long term health complications in both men and women such as infertility, still births, a top STIs expert and venereologist has said By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has over the years been using antibiotics such as Penicillin, Tetracilicin, and Quinolones to treat Gonorrhea but the situation has changed at the back of growing drug resistant strains, leaving the country with only…

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WHO and Global Fund warn inequalities block progress towards ending AIDS, TB and malaria

Michael Gwarisa

Inequities have been widely acknowledged as barriers to achieving global and national goals and targets in HIV, TB and malaria programs. However, the magnitude and extent of underlying health inequalities have remained poorly documented and understood. By Sonali Reddy Until those inequalities are better identified, and their consequences better understood, it will be hard for programmes to meet people’s real health needs. Now, for the first time, a new report from the World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, systematically assesses the global State…

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Male circumcisions disrupted by COVID-19, fall short of the 2020 target

Healthtimes

In areas with high HIV prevalence and low rates of male circumcision, voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) can greatly contribute to HIV prevention. Despite this, there was a steep drop in the number of VMMCs performed in the 15 priority countries in 2020, due mainly to service disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately 2.8 million procedures were performed in 2020, compared with 4.1 million in 2019. Several countries suspended their programmes when the pandemic took hold, including South Africa. Despite this, programmes in some countries proved resilient enough to recover…

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