The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) says they have identified most cases and initiated patients on Cholera treatment and care, allaying any fears of a full-blown cholera outbreak of the proportions of 2008/09. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has been recording sporadic and isolated cases of Cholera mostly in rural communities and some peri-urban centres over the past few months, raising fears in some circles that the outbreak could derail hosting of the international Conference on AIDS and SITs in Africa (ICASA), slated for December 4 to 9 2023.…
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One Stop Centres as Key Accelerators Towards Zimbabwe’s Progress To End AIDS By 2030
Women and girls who experience Gender Based Violence (GBV) are at high risk of contracting HIV. According to UN Women, GBV is a risk factor for HIV infection, and a consequence of stigma. Addressing violence and gender inequality is therefore essential to ending the AIDS epidemic and protecting the human rights of all people to safety, equality and the highest attainable standard of health. By Michael Gwarisa For Roselyn Magaso* 24, from Ngangu, Chimanimani, having been married at the age of 16, she experienced all forms of abuse at the…
Read MoreUNDP Facilitates Construction of Low Cost Boarding Facilities To Reduce HIV Vulnerability In Adolescent School Girls
Following the death of her mother, 15 year old Grace Mwamuka* now stays with her father and two minor siblings. She is from Ndima Village in Chimanimani. Throughout the year 2022, she would walk three hours to and from school daily. By Michael Gwarisa Every morning, she would wake up as early as 4:00 AM to clean the house and prepare food for her young siblings before departing for school. After school, she would rush home to clean the house and prepare dinner. This was taking a toll on her…
Read MoreZimbabwe Hosts PrEP Communication Strategy Development Workshop
Various stakeholders from within the HIV continuum gathered in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central province for a four day Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) communication strategy development workshop. By Michael Gwarisa in Mazowe The workshop was hosted by the National AIDS Council (NAC), in collaboration with Jhpiego, with funding from Global Fund with the objective to design a communication instrument for the planning and coordination of demand creation interventions implemented by key stakeholders and implementing partners in at community level to motivate the uptake and sustained use of PrEP by priority audiences. The communication…
Read MoreRising HIV treatment failure in Zimbabwe: A stitch in time could save nine
“Veld fires start from glowing ash: The numbers dismissed today as small, can offset the gains made in the national HIV response in the near future.” By Catherine Murombedzi (Internews Health Journalism Network, Mercury Phoenix Trust HIV/AIDS 2023 Fellowship) ZIMBABWE should set aside domestic financial resources to deal with the rising number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) resistant to the treatment of first resort, commonly known as the first line treatment. Donors do not fund second and third line treatment drugs, making this a key health priority for the…
Read MoreNAC’S sponsored Zimbabwe Women Amateur Golf Tournament goes into fourth year
ABOUT partnership between the National AIDS Council (NAC) and the Zimbabwe Ladies Golf Union (ZLGU), continues to grow with year’s Women’s Amateur Golf Tournament which starts on Friday expected to attract more numbers up for cervical screening. By Kudakwashe Pembere Cervical cancer screening helps identify cancer at an early stage before it can cause symptoms. Ending on Sunday, the tournament brings will see other countries such as Kenya and Zambia taking part in the tournament. Addressing the media at a press conference, Margaret Vera said this is year’s tourney will…
Read MoreNAC in major cancer fundraising boost
The National AIDS Council has intensified the drive to fight cervical cancer as part of its broader effort to contain new HIV infections and end AIDS by 2030. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking in an interview with HealthTimes on the sidelines of the this year’s eventful Zimbabwe Ladies Golf Union Stroke Play Golf Tournament, NAC Chief Executive Officer Dr Bernard Madzima said the target was to raise plus or minus US$100,000 from the fundraising event. NAC Pro-am golf tournament kicked off on Tuesday and the professional tournament also kicked off on…
Read MoreJHWO Rural Clinic Accelerates Identification of Missed TB cases in Vungu
Jackson Sibanda a small scale artisanal miner from Vungu, Village 6 has just been screened for Tuberculosis (TB) at Riversdale Clinic in Vungu, 40 Kilometers away from Gweru. Due to the nature of his job which requires him to move from one place to another in search of the gold, he has little time on his hands and rarely visits a health facility whenever he falls ill. By Michael Gwarisa in Vungu However, his friend recently tested positive for TB and he fears he might have contracted it since they…
Read MoreSET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF: How AWET Health interventions have reduced home deliveries Among Apostolic Women and Girls in Shurugwi
Caroline Ngosha (23), from Shurugwi is expecting her third child in a few months’ time. In both her previous pregnancies, she delivered her children at home in line with the dictates of her religion, a white garment apostolic sect. Some apostolic sects in Zimbabwe do not allow their followers to use family planning or contraception methods. Neither do they sanction female followers to register with the Anti Natal Clinic (ANC), later on deliver in a health institution. By Michael Gwarisa in Shurugwi She remembers vividly how life threatening giving birth…
Read MoreSeke District Uses 200 000 Condoms Every Three Months
Seke district has a quarterly uptake 200 000 male condoms while female condoms have a range of 5 000 to 10 000. By Kudakwashe Pembere During a Mashonaland East media tour organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC), the organisation’s District AIDS Coordinator (DAC) for Seke district Ms Florence Nyandoro told HealthTimes in an interview last week that, “Our quarterly average uptake for male condoms is 200 000 and the female condoms are in the range of 5 000 and 10 000.” Explaining the uptake difference, she said it was…
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