Category: HIV/AIDS

House Maid jailed for trying to infect boss’ child with HIV/Aids

Healthtimes

Kampala, Uganda | A housemaid was sentenced to three years imprisonment on Wednesday for attempting to infect her boss’s two-year-old baby with HIV/AIDS. GODFREY SSALI  Jemima Nasifa alias Tumukunde Zainabu a Rwandan, pleaded guilty to the offence of doing a negligent act likely to spread infection or disease, before Kampala’s City Hall Court, Grade One magistrate Beatrice Kainza. This after she had spent six months on remand at Luzira prison. The Magistrate on Wednesday convicted her on her own plea of guilt and added her three more years back to jail.…

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#BREAKING: HIV Prevalence High Amongst Gays and Lesbians In Zim

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AT least 32.8% of Women who have Sex with other Women (WSW) and 28.% of Men who have Sex with other men (MSM) are HIV positive, according to statistics gathered by the Gays and Lesbians Zimbabwe (GALZ). By Michael Gwarisa in Kadoma  Briefing a Meeting on Earmarked Taxes to fund Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Key Populations,  GALZ Programmes Officer, Sylvester Nyamatendedza said accessing basic health needs for key members of their community was a challenge owing to a myriad of factors chief among them being the hatred and discrimination they…

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First Lady To Champion AIDS Fight

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Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Honorable Auxillia Mnangagwa and UNAIDS Country Director, Mr Girmay Haile today agreed to embark on a historic partnership where the First Lady expressed commitment to play a strategic national and international advocacy role in ending HIV and AIDS. HealthTimes Correspondant In a meeting held this morning at the First Lady’s office at Zimbabwe House, Mr. Girmary Haile, UNAIDS Country Director in Zimbabwe briefed the First Lady on upcoming events of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) – an organisation affiliated with UNAIDS and outlined…

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1 drug per week, hope for HIV patients

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HIV patients will soon heave a sigh of relief as they will no longer need to carry a lot of pills with the rolling out of a new antiretroviral drug which will be taken only once a week. SOURCE: SUNDAYNEWS: Robin Muchetu Scientists in the United States have conducted trials of the new ARVs that will see a patient taking one drug per week and it will contain enough medicine to last that period. This means that drug intake will be reduced from 30 to just four per month. Director…

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Ministry of Health Receives 12 New Chemistry Analysers

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THE Ministry of Health and Child  Care (MoHCC) has received 12  new state of the range Chemistry Anlaysers valued at  Euro 350,000.00  with a capacity of carrying out not less 200 blood tests per hour. By Michael Gwarisa The donation deal was brokered by the National Aids Council (NAC), a German Firm Humanstar and a local firm, Diagnostics Laboratory Suppliers. The analysers will be distributed in 12 hospitals countrywide including Josiah Magama Barracks and Hospital, Manyame Air base, Chinhoyi hospital, Mtoko Hospital, Marondera Hospital, Nyanga, Bindura, Thorngroove, Gwanda hospital, St…

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PEPFAR To Continue Supporting Zimbabwe HIV Programs

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THE U.S Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), says it will continue to support the new Zimbabwean government in all its efforts to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, HealthTimes can reveal. By Michael Gwarisa Despite efforts by certain political sections to discredit the new government that is being led by President Emerson Mnangagwa, the United States government says it recognises the new dispensation and will continue working side by side to ensure Zimbabwe achieves the 90-90-90 targets. In an interview with HealthTimes, PEPFAR  Programs Coordinator, Mark Troger  said, “The United…

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#BREAKING: Blood Demand To Go Up…As Blood Group O Reserves Run Dry

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AN unanticipated upsurge in blood demand is looming at the back of government’s recent move to slash the blood prices from $80 to $50 per unit at the beginning of this year. By Michael Gwarisa The development also comes at the back of a crisis whereby the Blood bank coffers are fast  running dry of blood group O amidst indications that not more than 52% of Zimbabwe’s population belong to that blood group. Briefing Journalists this morning, National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms Lucy Marowa…

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#BREAKING: Global Fund Avails $500 million Funding To Zimbabwe’s Health Sector

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THE Global Fund has availed an additional $502 million towards Zimbabwe’s healthcare which will go towards supporting HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria programmes for the next three years. By Michael Gwarisa The grants will be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Child and Child Care (MOHCC) and UNDP in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations and the National AIDS Council (NAC). Officiating at the Grant launch, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenhyatwa said the $500 million grant will be able to sustain the gains made so far in fighting…

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Importing ARVs Cheaper For Zim- IP Experts

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IMPORTING Anti-Retro Viral (ARVs) drugs from giant pharmaceutical economies like India is actually cheaper and affordable compared to producing them locally in Zimbabwe, Intellectual Property Rights (IP) Experts have warned. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing an Intellectual Property Rights and Access to Medicines Media training in the capital, Legal practitioner and IP expert Tapiwanashe Kujinga said given the obsolete machinery and technology housed at local pharmaceutical companies, it was not viable to manufacture ARVs locally. “As you might be aware, Varichem used to manufacture ARVs locally but as time went on,…

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Government Applauds MSF Epworth HIV/TB Project

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By Michael Gwarisa HEALTH and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa has applauded Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) for putting up a state  Epworth HIV/TB project which is aimed at combating the HIV and Tb epidemics. Speaking during the handover ceremony of the MSF project to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) today (6/12/2017), minister Parirenyatwa said MSF’s efforts in significantly reducing the HIV prevalence and new incidence as well as scaling up of antiretroviral therapy over the years were commendable. “Our government remains committed to creating an enabling…

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