Zimbabwe’s HPV Vaccine Coverage Soars From 6% to 90% in Three Years, Second Highest in SADC
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has staged one of the region’s most remarkable immunisation recoveries, with HPV vaccine coverage soaring from just six percent in 2022 to 90 percent in 2025, making it the second-highest performer in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The latest figures from the 2025 World Health Organization (WHO) and the United
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Zimbabwe Lost 563 Mothers and 6,177 Newborns in 2025 as Maternal Health Challenges Persist
By Michael Gwarisa Every day in 2025, nearly 17 Zimbabwean babies died every day before reaching one month of life. By the end of the year, the country had lost 6,177 newborns, a heartbreaking toll that translates to almost 119 babies every week. Put another way, it is as if, an entire classroom of new-borns
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First Trial to Prevent Bundibugyo Ebola After Exposure Begins as Outbreak Claims 600 Lives
By Michael Gwarisa Scientists have launched the world’s first clinical trial to determine whether an experimental antiviral drug can prevent people exposed to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus from developing the deadly disease, offering new hope as an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda continues to spread. The EBO-PEP
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New Rotary Club of Chitungwiza President Pledges to Expand Community Health Programmes
By Kuda Pembere Newly elected Rotary Club of Chitungwiza president Solomon Bamusi has pledged to strengthen the club’s community health and humanitarian programmes, with a renewed focus on expanding access to healthcare and mentorship for young people. Bamusi, who was installed as president on Friday for a one-year term, said he intends to build on
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Zimbabwe Unveils National Health Strategy 2026-2030, Targets Universal Health Coverage
By Kuda Pembere in Norton Zimbabwe has launched its National Health Strategy (2026-2030), a five-year blueprint aimed at strengthening the country’s health system, expanding access to quality healthcare and accelerating progress towards universal health coverage. Launching the strategy at Norton Hospital on Thursday, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the plan
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HealthTimes Editor Awarded Prestigious IAS Media Scholarship to Cover AIDS 2026 Conference in Brazil
By Staff Reporter HealthTimes will strengthen its coverage of HIV and AIDS after its Editor, Michael Gwarisa, was awarded a prestigious media scholarship by the International AIDS Society (IAS) to attend the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), which will be held from 26–31 July 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The highly competitive scholarship
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Zimbabwe Introduces Law Requiring Private Hospitals to Treat Emergency Patients Regardless of Ability to Pay
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has enacted sweeping amendments to the Medical Services Act that will require private hospitals to provide life-saving emergency treatment to critically ill patients regardless of their ability to pay, marking one of the country’s most significant health law reforms in recent years. The Medical Services Amendment Act, 2026, gazetted this week
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Daily Pill Burden Fuels Demand for Long-Acting HIV Prevention in Zimbabwe, Survey Finds
By Michael Gwarisa Nearly seven in ten Zimbabweans who previously used daily oral HIV prevention pills abandoned treatment because of the burden of taking medication every day, a new survey has revealed, adding fresh evidence that long-acting injectable HIV prevention could transform the country’s fight against new HIV infections. The findings come just months after
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How Gold Is Fueling a Teenage Pregnancy Crisis in Shamva
By Kuda Pembere, recently in Shamva When Rhoda (not her real name) fell in love with a 19-year-old artisanal miner at the age of 15, she believed she had found a future. Instead, she dropped out of school, became pregnant and was abandoned before her baby was born. Today, at just 17, she is raising
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38,000 Malawians to Receive Lenacapavir as First Shipment of HIV Prevention Doses Arrives
By Michael Gwarisa Malawi has received its first shipment of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention medicine, with enough doses expected to protect 38,000 people, marking another milestone in Africa’s rollout of one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention in decades. The arrival of the first of two planned shipments positions Malawi as
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