Category: HIV/AIDS

Zimbabwe’s 2020 Global AIDS Monitoring Report Shows Progress In Bending AIDS Trajectory

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE has released its 2020 Global AIDS Monitoring (GAM) report which shows that the country is itching closer to epidemic control despite a myriad of challenges threatening to reverse the gains achieved so far, chief among them being the COVID-19 pandemic. By Michael Gwarisa Addressing a Press Conference where he presented on GAM and progress made so far, National AIDS Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Benard Madzima said the country achieved tits 90-9090 targets and the results from the GAM estimates also tallies with the ZIMPHIA results that were…

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Condom Use Declines Among Zim Sex Workers As Country Misses 2020 Condom Distribution Target

Michael Gwarisa

A total 83 million male condoms and 2.9 million female condoms were distributed in the year 2020, which is a far cry from the 100 million for men and 5.5 million that had been targeted for women during the year. By Michael Gwarisa The target misses were largely attributed to service disruption due to Covid-19. The 2020 figures were the lowest compared to the previous three years. The decline in condom distribution also affected uptake and use of condoms by Female Sex Workers and other HIV high risk groups. Presenting…

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Zimbabwe Records Significant Decline In AIDS Deaths

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE’S AIDS mortality has  significantly declined from a high of 488 people in 2010 to 137 people per 100,000 people living with HIV in 2020, indicating a 71.9% decline in AIDS deaths over the past decade, the National AIDS Council (NAC) has revealed. By Michael Gwarisa The development also follows revelations that the number of people living with HIV across the country was stabilizing as a result of increased number of people who are on Antiretroviral Treatment (ART). Making an HIV estimates presentation during a virtual 2021 Global Aids Monitoring…

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Adopt Women Centred HIV Initiatives To End AIDS Warns Women CSOs

Healthtimes

CIVIL Society groups have raised concern over the high prevalence HIV/AIDS  as well as the ever growing number of new infections in women and girls who are disproportionately affected by HIV due to their societal roles like harmful cultural practices. By Patricia Mashiri Speaking in a webinar meeting , Jane  Kalweo, the Advisor United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Office Zimbabwe said there was need for women centered initiatives as they are always left behind. Women continue to suffer lack of representation. We need more women centered initiatives. The responsible authorities…

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Africaid-Zvandiri Improves Viral Load Testing Coverage in Beitbridge

Healthtimes

THE Zvandiri Program supports and cares for children, adolescents and young people living with HIV (CAYPLHIV) aged 0-24 years. The organization began working in Beitbridge in all 19 health facilities, in October 2020, with funding from USAID. By Africaid Zvandiri Before implementation started, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and Africaid-Zvandiri conducted a baseline survey which showed that only 345 out of 1845 (19%) CAYPLHIV in the district had a documented and valid viral load (VL) result. Shortages of testing reagents at the district laboratory, transportation of blood…

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Zim Misses Male Circumcision Target By 81.1 % Due To COVID-19 in 2020

Michael Gwarisa

THE national Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) missed its target of circumcising 412,000 men in 2020 and only managed to circumcise 78,000 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which derailed all circumcision efforts countrywide due to tight restrictions on movement. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe adopted VMMC as one of its main HIV prevention strategies for men in 2008 with studies having shown that the practice can help reduce HIV transmission in men by about 60%. To date, over 2 million men have been circumcised in Zimbabwe since the commencement of the…

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Ending AIDS By 2030 In Zimbabwe: Churches Better Positioned To Promote Male Engagement In HIV Response

Michael Gwarisa
Members from various churches gather at the women and girls symposium

CHURCHES and religious institutions play a pivotal role in reducing the number of new HIV infections in men as well as promoting better health seeking behavior amongst in men, top HIV/AIDS experts have said. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZIMPHIA) Key findings,  HIV prevalence was 15.3% among women and 10.2% among men (ZimPHIA 2020), however more men were still not aware of their HIV status and they were lagging behind in terms of viral load suppression. Speaking during a Virtual workshop for ZCC…

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A Thigh For For A Bucket: Sexual Abuse Reigns Supreme At Boreholes and Waterpoints In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

THE absence of adequate water and sanitation facilities provides a fertile breeding ground for Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). In both rural and urban settings in Zimbabwe, girls and women travel long distances to fetch water and, in some instances where ablution facilities are not available, they relieve themselves in the bush, further making girls and young women targets of abuse. By Michael Gwarisa According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2019, a sizable number of households in Zimbabwe still lack sufficient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities…

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NAC Donates PPE And Face Masks That Enable Lip Reading To Zim’s Deaf Community

Michael Gwarisa

THE National AIDS Council (NAC) has handed over a donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the deaf community in Zimbabwe. By Michael Gawarisa The donation also includes 5000 special user-friendly face masks that were handed over to the Sunrise Academy of Sign Language on behalf of the deaf community which enables lip reading, which is essential in sign language communication. Speaking at the handover ceremony in Harare, NAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Bernard Madzima said there was approximately 700 000 people who have been classified as deaf in…

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How Does HIV Accelerate Aging?

Healthtimes

SOURCE: .healthgrades.com If you have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), you might also have other medical problems that are usually only experienced by older people. Even though there’s been a lot of research on the subject, doctors are still trying to understand how HIV accelerates the aging process. One thing’s for certain: scientists seem to agree that having HIV does mean you’ll age faster than someone without the disease. So how does HIV speed up the aging process? There are several theories being explored. Metabolic Changes If you have HIV, much…

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