By Munyaradzi Doma A worrying trend of stigma and discrimination obtaining in the country will derail the successes that have been made in the HIV response, Executive Director of Zimbabwe National Network for People Living with HIV, Tatenda Makoni has revealed. Makoni revealed this during an International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA) side session which was organised by Aids and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA). The side session was running under the theme: “Expanding needs, diminishing means, shrinking civil space and funding for HIV and sexual…
Read MoreDay: December 8, 2023
Advancements in Anti-Retroviral Therapy: A Paradigm Shift Towards Enhanced Safety in HIV Management
Dr. Tadesse T. Mekonen Executive: Clinical Research and Development, Avacare Health Group This paper examines the transformative developments in HIV therapy, focusing on the evolution of anti-retroviral agents (ARVs) over the past four decades. It particularly highlights the transition from Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) to Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF) in the context of enhanced safety benefits. Since the initial identification of HIV as a global health crisis, considerable progress has been made in the realm of ARVs. The primary goal of these therapeutic agents is to suppress viral replication, thus…
Read MoreZim rolls out Child-friendly ARV formulations to keep children on treatment
By Michael Gwarisa The Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr Douglas Mombeshora says more than 87 percent of children in Zimbabwe are now on child-friendly Dolutegravir (DTG) based formulations. His remarks follow indications that children in Zimbabwe were lagging regarding treatment coverage and data from 2022 shows that only 69 percent of children living with HIV were on Antiretroviral Treatment compared to 95 percent of adults on ART. Speaking during a panel session of Accelerating the Implementation of the Global Alliance Country Action Plan to End AIDS in…
Read MoreZim-TTECH Rides on Four Grants to scale-up HIV Treatment and Care at Community level
By Michael Gwarisa As of October 1, 2023, the Zimbabwe Technical Assistance, Training and Education Centre (Zim-TTECH) is now the prime recipient of three PEPFAR grants, through the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) which will scale up HIV and Tuberculosis Treatment and Care in Zimbabwean communities. The three grants include the Care and Treatment grant, the DREAMS grant and the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) grant. Speaking to HealthTimes at the ICASA conference, Zim-TTECH Demand Creation and Training Advisor, Abisha Jonga said they aim to capacitate communities in the HIV…
Read MoreICASA spotlights worrying trend of Viral Hepatitis in Africa
By Michael Gwarisa More than 91 million Africans live with Hepatitis B or C, which are the deadliest strains of the virus, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) scorecard that was launched in 2021. The Viral Hepatitis Scorecard 2021 which looked at data from the African region but focused on Hepatitis B and C, both of which cause liver cirrhosis and cancer showed that in 19 countries, more than 8 percent of the population is infected with Hepatitis B, while in 18 countries, more than 1 percent of the…
Read MoreICASA2023 DAILY EBULLETING ISSUES 4
ICASA2023 DAILY EBULLETING ISSUES 4 – HealthTimes
Read MoreMore than US$ 1.8 billion in support for African vaccine manufacturing, catching up missed children and pandemic preparedness approved as Gavi Board steps up efforts to tackle backsliding and fight health emergencies
Gavi’s Board today approved the establishment of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a financing instrument that will make up to US$ 1 billion available to support sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa Efforts to translate pandemic learnings into concrete action further include the establishment of a US$ 500 million First Response Fund to ensure immediate financing for vaccine response in the event of a future pandemic, as well as extraordinary support for countries to close routine immunisation gaps created during the COVID-19 pandemic The Board approved the inclusion of the…
Read More2023 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey Launched
By Michael Gwarisa The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in collaboration with their strategic partner, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) has launched the 2023 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). The ZDHS is a periodic survey conducted after five years. Zimbabwe has conducted this survey in 1988,1994, 1999, 2005/06.2010/11 and 2015, Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2023 ZDHS is the 7 th round of this survey. A total of 11 200 households will be covered during this survey and 15 survey teams were deployed on the 2nd of December…
Read More