Category: HIV/AIDS

Tablets and Tenacity: How Young HIV Peer Supporters Are Transforming Treatment Adherence in Rural Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Gutu Every morning, 20-year-old Christin Madombi wakes up with a mission. From her modest home in Gutu’s Mutero area, she powers up her tablet and scans through a list of peers—young people just like her, living with HIV. She has 24 peers assigned to her under the Community Adolescent Treatment Supporter (CATS) program. With each missed alert comes a sense of urgency. The tablet, loaded with a digital tracking tool, shows her who needs a follow-up. Without hesitation, Christin sets out on foot, trekking through the…

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Suspended HIV Services Resume in Masvingo as CAB-LA, Vaginal Ring Return for Key Populations

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa, recently in Masvingo For the past 12 months, Wellington*, a 41-year-old Masvingo man who has sex with men (MSM) and a male sex worker, has relied on oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce his risk of HIV infection. He has also used condoms and occasionally Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). At the start of 2025, Wellington hoped he would be initiated on the injectable form of PrEP, Cabotegravir Long-Acting (CAB-LA), to further protect himself. But like many other HIV prevention services, the injectable program had been suspended following the…

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FDA approves twice-a-year injection for HIV prevention

Michael Gwarisa

CNN — A drug currently used to treat certain HIV infections has also, on Wednesday, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to be used to prevent HIV. Gilead Sciences, maker of the drug, announced that a twice-a-year injection of lenacapavir has been approved in the United States for HIV prevention under the brand name Yeztugo. In clinical trials, the drug was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection and provide near-total protection against HIV, significantly more than the primary options available for pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Therapies called PrEP…

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How Masvingo’s Health Facilities Are Giving Sex Workers a Lifeline Amid Donor Cuts

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Masvingo She is nine months pregnant and could give birth any day now, yet Melody Mhlanga* still sells sex to survive. The 25-year-old from Gutu, Masvingo Province, found herself thrust into the world of sex work three months ago after her marriage collapsed. With no income, no support, and a baby on the way, she saw no other path. “I joined sex work three months ago when my marriage crumbled,” she says, her voice trembling. “I didn’t have any source of income, and I needed to…

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Zimbabwe’s NAC Boosts Lifesaving Kidney Care for People Living with HIV

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  In a landmark move, the National AIDS Council (NAC) has stepped in to support Zimbabwe’s growing renal care burden, particularly for People Living with HIV (PLHIV), by funding essential dialysis services at Parirenyatwa Hospital. The intervention comes amid growing concern about the hidden epidemic of kidney failure among people on lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART). While ART has significantly extended lives, long-term use is now linked with a sharp rise in chronic kidney disease. At the heart of the initiative is the recognition that PLHIV, often overlooked in…

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“I’ll Fix It”: Elon Musk Responds to Outcry Over Lenacapavir Funding Halt

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Billionaire Elon Musk, who also serves as an advisor to United States President Donald Trump, has hinted at intervening in the ongoing funding crisis affecting global HIV programs—particularly the rollout of Lenacapavir, a groundbreaking once-a-year HIV prevention drug. Musk made the remarks during a conversation with Bloomberg’s Mitchell Hussein at the Qatar Economic Forum. Hussein raised concerns about the global impact of HIV and AIDS funding cuts, especially the exclusion of critical HIV prevention programs like Lenacapavir from the current U.S. government funding waiver. The AIDS medication…

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Botswana Achieves Gold Tier Status in Eliminating Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter Botswana has achieved gold tier status in its efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The country received this recognition during the plenary session of the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, awarded by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2021, Botswana became the first country in the world to meet the criteria for silver tier status on the path to eliminating HIV transmission. Now, it is also the first to reach gold tier status, having met stringent targets—including reducing the annual rate of new…

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Dr. Nyaradzo Mgodi Honored for Leadership in Landmark HIV Vaccine Study

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Dr. Nyaradzo Mgodi, a renowned Zimbabwean clinician-researcher and the Site Leader for the University of Zimbabwe Clinical Trials Research Centre (UZ-CTRC) in Zengeza, has been awarded the prestigious HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) Service Award for her outstanding leadership and contribution to the groundbreaking Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) study. The award was announced during the recent HVTN Full Group Meeting, a global gathering of leading scientists and researchers involved in HIV vaccine development. The AMP study, one of the most ambitious HIV prevention trials ever undertaken, investigated…

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Zim Has Enough ARVs to Last Through 2025, Says Health Minister Mombeshora

Michael Gwarisa

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has enough antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to last through the end of 2025, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said Friday, allaying public concerns over a looming shortage. Speaking to HealthTimes, Mombeshora assured the nation that the country has an eight-month supply of adult ARVs, sufficient to meet the needs of more than 1.1 million people living with HIV who are on first-line treatment. We have procured and secured enough medicines for 2024,” said Mombeshora at a workshop organized by the National AIDS Council (NAC). “We…

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Global Fund Procures African-Made First-Line HIV Treatment

Michael Gwarisa

By HealthTimes Reporter  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has reached a historic milestone by procuring – for the first time – a first-line HIV treatment manufactured in Africa. The treatment – lifesaving, quality-assured antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) called TLD (tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir), prequalified by the World Health Organization – was sourced from a leading Kenyan pharmaceutical company and delivered to Mozambique. The volume supplied can treat over 72,000 people per year in the country. This historic milestone highlights the Global Fund’s strong commitment…

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