Category: HIV/AIDS

WHO Moves To Curb 2nd Line ARV Stock-outs

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By Michael Gwarisa  THE World Health Organisation (WHO) is in the process of engaging Pharmaceutical and drug manufacturing companies to negotiate on the pricing of second line Anti Retro-viral drugs to assist Zimbabwe and other struggling third world countries to ensure they access the lifesaving drugs at affordable prices. The development come in the midst of reports that Zimbabwe is experiencing massive second line Abacavir ARV drug stock-outs, putting more than 30 000 lives at risk of developing HIV drug resistance owing to discontinued uptake of  ARVs.  Briefing Journalists in…

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#BREAKING: NAC Targets Informal Sector Over AIDS Levy

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By Michael Gwarisa THE National Aids Council (NAC) is engaging government and policy makers to consider taxing the informal sector in a bid to beef up the Aids Levy coffers which are reportedly dwindling. Briefing Journalists during a Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) media engagement meeting in the capital, NAC’s National Advocacy Coordinator Trust Govera said AIDS levy collections fell in 2016 and measures were currently underway to increase domestic financing for HIV related programs and taxing the informal sector was one of them. “Government is in the process…

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HIV Testing Now Mandatory in Zambia, Should Zim Follow Suit?

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By Mathew  President Edgar Lungu of Zambia yesterday announced the legalisation of HIVtesting and treatment in all hospitals without informed consent of patients. He made the announcement during the inaugural launch of a HIV campaign in the capital Lusaka. “Just the same way we don’t consult you for consent when we are testing for Malaria, we will go ahead and test you for HIV and we will counsel you and if you are positive, we will commence treatment,” he said. Just the same way we don’t consult you for consent when we…

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Economic crisis worsens HIV pandemic

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STAFF WRITER ZIMBABWE’S deepening economic crisis is severely affecting the government’s ability to fund public health delivery and restricting poor people’s access to health care, economists, government officials and health experts agree. The southern African country’s economy had shown signs of modest improvement under the government of national unity (GNU) between 2009 and 2013, when President Robert Mugabe and his long-ruling Zanu-PF party shared power with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). However, industry has been performing poorly and company closures have picked up since Zanu-PF won general elections…

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WhenTo Tell My Boy/Girlfriend I am HIV+…Plight of HIV+ Adolescents

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By Michael Gwarisa  AT a certain stage in life, the desire to be loved or love someone grips us  all and the feeling to express one’s love through physical means overrides normal reasoning. Its more like ecstasy, you cant explain it! However, for young adolescents living with HIV, expressing themselves in love relationships is a bit of a challenge as they have to juggle between telling their loved ones their true HIV status or withhold the truth until a certain time. Just like any normal  children, HIV positive adolescents also…

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Prophets Fueling HIV Drug Resistance

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…As Zimbabwe Faces Worst Health Time Bomb…ART could Cost $6.5 billion in 2030 due HIV Drug Resistance!!!   By Michael Gwarisa LOCAL prophets who claim to have healing powers over AIDS should desist from doing so, as their claims have seen a number of HIV positive individuals on Anti Retro-viral Treatment (ART) stopping their  medication , hence fueling HIV drug resistance, a top health expert has said. The call comes hot on the heels of a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning over increased cases of an  HIV Drug Resistant  virus…

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Rimuka TB/HIV Care Centre commissioned

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By Staff Reporter MINISTRY of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has commissioned the Rimuka Integrated TB/HIV Care Centre that was renovated at a cost of US$30 000. The integrated health care centre which is owned by the Kadoma City Council handles approximately 6000 people every month. In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister Aldrin Masiiwa last Friday, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa applauded the city council for the noble initiative. “I am told that this health Care centre were once Council offices but…

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PEPFAR’s new look homepage

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By Kuda Pembere THE President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has redesigned its website’s homepage for readers to get a bird’s eye view of all that’s being done in the program. The website was revamped in a way that keeps visitors returning for more while attracting unique ones as well. On the new homepage is a slideshow of high resolution thumbnails for news written on the website. The website is also embedded with social media widgets such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. “Our PEPFAR.gov homepage has a new look! Check it…

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19.5 million people on life-saving treatment-UNAIDS

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HealthTimes Reporter MORE than half of people living with HIV (53%) now have access to HIV treatment and AIDS related deaths have halved since 2005, UNAIDS has said. A report released by UNAIDS shows that for the first time the scales have tipped: In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment, and AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016. Provided that scale-up continues, this progress puts the world on track to reach the global target…

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#BREAKING: New HIV Drug Resistant Virus Detected

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By Michael Gwarisa A new HIV Drug resistant virus has been detected in most parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed. According to its latest WHO HIV drug resistance report 2017, WHO notes that in 6 of the 11 countries surveyed in Africa, Asia and Latin America, over 10% of people starting antiretroviral therapy had a strain of HIV that was resistant to some of the most widely used HIV medicines. Once the threshold of 10% has been reached, WHO recommends those countries urgently review…

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