By Kuda Pembere in Mvurwi
Several interventions have been credited to the reduction of HIV prevalence in Mashonaland Central with the province now ranking the fifth highest in the country.
Despite Mazowe topping the list in the past two years, due to some targeted interventions, it has now been overtaken by Bindura where the Provincial Hospital is located.
Speaking with journalists during a NAC organized media tour for Mash Central, the province’s Provincial Manager Mr Edgar Muzulu said they have over 111 000 persons living with HIV in the province.
“This is one of the ten provinces that make up the National AIDS Council provinces as per the geographical demarcations of the country. Now I am going to give you an overview of the provincial HIV and AIDS profile. As a province, we are made up of eight districts namely Bindura, Shamva, Rushinga, Mazowe, Mt Darwin, Mbire, Muzarabani, and Guruve. In terms of HIV population as a province, we have plus in excess of 111,000 people living with HIV. And out of this figure, 7% of them are children,” he said.
He stated the provincial prevalence according to latest figures now stands 10.35 percent.
“In terms of prevalence, we have Bindura District at the top, followed by Shamva, and in third position is Mazowe District.
“However, during the past two years, Mazowe District was at the top, but due to interventions that we have employed together with our stakeholders and other implementing partners, we have seen a slight decrease in the prevalence rate of Mazowe, caused by a decrease in new infections, as well. “Now in terms of the provincial prevalence rate, we are at 10.35 percent,” he said.
Added Mr Muzulu, “Nationally as Mashonaland Central province, we are in the middle. You might be aware that in terms of the prevalence, Mat South is the highest, followed by Mat North, followed by Bulawayo Province and Midland at number four. So, in terms of prevalence, Mashonaland Central is at number five.”
Mr Muzulu said some of the strategies they have include engaging traditional chiefs via the Start Awareness, Support, Action (SASA).
“Now, because of the education that they are being given through this model, which we call Sasa, focuses on traditional leaders, influential leaders, religious leaders, and the approach seeks to make people introspect, re-look at how they are living, and see which are the practices which are wrong, which are in the negative, which needs to be addressed,” he said.
Low risk perception, Gender based violence, intergenerational sex amongst other issues are some of the major drivers of HIV.
“And it is also fueled by multiple concurrent which are also explained in long-term relationships. In such long-term relationships which are current, you also find that there is also low condom use.
“There is also the perception that a person would think that because I’m in a longer relationship, then this is a permanent boyfriend or girlfriend as a result they don’t maybe use condoms,” Muzulu said.
Mazowe, he said, also had high levels of GBV.
“Then we also have other key drivers such as Gender Based Violence which are more pronounced in our districts. That problem is most pronounced in Mazowe District as well. But we also have other districts which have high incidences of GBV like Rushinga, Mbire and Shamva,” he said.
For Mazowe district, the District AIDS Coordinator Ms Mercy Mudhombo said their prevalence was over 11 percent.
“According to the 2023 Estimates our HIV prevalence for Mazowe is 11.91 percent and our incidence is 0.14 percent,” she said.
