Zimbabwe’s Wins Bid To Host ICASA 2023

THE National AIDS Council (NAC) has confirmed Zimbabwe’s approval to host the 2023 International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, ICASA 2023. By Michael Gwarisa Contacted for comment, NAC Chief Executive Officer said they were finalizing modalities ahead to their meeting with the head of state, President Emerson Mnangagwa next week where a formal announcement will be made at a national level. We are now working on the finer details so that the official announcement will be made on Monday 17 October,” said DrMadzima. The final decision by ICASA…

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Zimbabwe Submits Bid To Host ICASA In 2023

ZIMBABWE together with other five African countries have submitted bids to host the International Conference on AIDS and STIs In Africa (ICASA) in 2023. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s intention to host the 2023 ICASA was announced during a Press Conference that was held on Friday by ICASA at the ongoing 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal Canada. The Zimbabwean delegation was also present during the press conference and was headed by the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr John Mangwiro. Speaking during the Press Conference, Dr John…

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

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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Media Has Contributed Towards Bending HIV Trajectory Says Dep Minister Paradza

ZIMBABWE  has progressed in reducing its HIV and AIDS burden at the back of increased reportage of HIV and AIDS issues which has greatly changed perceptions around the disease and reduced stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV. By Michael Gwarisa in Chinhoyi Addressing Editors and Station managers from different media organization in Chinhoyi, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister, Honorable Kindness Paradza said mentioning Zimbabwe’s HIV success without including the media would be a great injustice. Far from the belief in some quarters that HIV and AIDS…

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

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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“Let’s Not Address Health Issues In Silos During Lockdown”

THE National AIDS Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Benard Madzima says the new level four lockdown presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to correct the mistakes of the first lockdown which saw a sizable number of people struggling to access essential healthcare services. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Madzima said even though HIV  is still a burden on the country’s health sector, it was critical to prioritise other issues such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), maternal health, access to contraceptives, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR),…

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Zimbabwe Launches 2020 World AIDS Day Campaign

AS the 2020 World AIDS Day (WAD) commemorations draw near, Zimbabwe has launched the WAD 2020 Campaign theme, theme song and logo. By Michael Gwarisa The WAD 2020 will be running under the theme “Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility, Ending AIDS By 2030. According to the National AIDS Council (NAC), the 2020 WAD Celebrations will be held on December 1, 2020 in Harare at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), under strict observance of COVID-19 regulations in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) set standards. Speaking during a virtual Press…

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Briefcase HIV Organizations Causing Havoc In HIV Coordination Says NAC

THE National Aids Council (NAC) has vowed to restore sanity in the HIV response sector by capacitating the Zimbabwe Nationwide Network of People Living with HIV (ZNNP+) which was mandated at the initial stages of the HIV pandemic in Zimbabwe to coordinate community participation and involvement in the HIV response. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking to HealthTimes in an interview, NAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Bernard Madzima said currently there was chaos in the HIV response at the back of mushrooming organisations purporting to be representing the PLHIV community. ZNNP+…

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UNAIDS Donates Hygiene Kits To People Living With HIV

ZNNP+ Receives donation from UNAIDS

THE United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)together with Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (RB) have donated 10 000 hygiene kits to people living with HIV(PLWHIV) to protect and safeguard people living with HIV from the Corona virus. The donation has been made through the Zimbabwe National Network of PLWHIV (ZNNP+). By Patricia Mashiri This donation comes after the realisation that basic hygiene kits form part of the essential commodities necessary in the prevention and fight against COVID-19 and other ailments especially now that the country has relaxed lockdown regulations. Identified 10,000…

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NAC Hands Over ZW$1Mln Worth of COVID-19 PPE To Mash West Province

THE National AIDS Council (NAC) today donated a consignment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) valued at ZW$1 000 000 in a move that will improve the province’s management of the disease which has already claimed 6 lives and infected 512 others. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking at the handover ceremony to officially hand over NAC procured COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health and Child Care and to launch HIV prevention models NAC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Bernard Madzima said the equipment was part of efforts meant to…

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