Zimbabwe Targets 46,000 Lenacapavir Users As Demand For HIV Prevention Injection Grows
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is set to significantly expand access to Lenacapavir, the long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, after securing additional financial support from the Global Fund through the United States Department of State, a development expected to strengthen HIV prevention efforts among high-risk populations. The new support will see an additional 43,000 doses added to
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For Years They Woke Up to Ash and Smoke. Mpilo’s New Incinerator Changed That
Michael Gwarisa in Bulawayo For years, families living near Mpilo Central Hospital woke up to the same reality: ash settling on rooftops and washing lines, thick smoke hanging in the air, and fumes so harsh they sometimes forced residents indoors. Today, many say that has changed. A newly constructed high-capacity medical waste incinerator, built under
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Clean Water, Safe Births: How Solarised Boreholes Are Transforming Maternal Care in Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa in Midlands Province Moments after washing a bucket at Shurugwi District Hospital’s maternity wing, pregnant mother Martha Macheka carefully closes the tap before calling another expectant woman to help her carry the water back to the waiting mothers’ shelter. Just a few years ago, such a simple act would have been impossible. Before
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For Silicosis Patients, Solar Power Means the Difference Between Life and Death
Michael Gwarisa in Kwekwe A few metres away, the wife of 50-year-old Moses Ndaba stands quietly, her face weighed down by worry as she watches her husband struggle to breathe. Clad in a green dress, she reaches into a plastic bag, pulls out an apple and gently hands it to him. Ndaba stares at it
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Three Minutes to a Diagnosis: How Digital X-Rays Are Transforming Rural Healthcare
Michael Gwarisa in Manicaland Despite the scorching heat, 58-year-old Fibion Nyatsanza (Not his real name), from Saumani village in the Honde Valley is determined to find out what has been keeping him awake at night for the past three weeks. Shortly after midday, he walks through the gates of Hauna District Hospital, clad in a
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From Crisis Response to Lasting Reform: How Zimbabwe Is Building a Stronger Health System from COVID-19 Investments
Michael Gwarisa in Mahusekwa At Mahusekwa Hospital, what once passed for a pharmacy was a cramped room that struggled to serve an entire district. Medicines were often in short supply, storage conditions were far from ideal, and patients frequently travelled long distances only to leave empty-handed or be referred to Marondera for treatment. For Sekuru
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Mozambique Rolls Out Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention
 Michael Gwarisa Mozambique yesterday joined other African countries that have introduced and added Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, into their biomedical prevention methods. Other countries that have introduced the HIV prevention drug include Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Mozambique, the official launch was hosted at the
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PEPFAR, Global Fund Expand Lenacapavir Access to Reach 3 Million in HIV Prevention Push
Michael Gwarisa Global efforts to scale up access to a groundbreaking HIV prevention injection have received a major boost after PEPFAR and The Global Fund announced additional investment in Gilead Sciences’ long-acting drug, lenacapavir, with the aim of expanding protection to millions at risk. The new commitment will support access for up to an additional
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EU Pledges US$750 Million to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria, Boosts AMR Response
Michael Gwarisa Amid declining donor support for health programmes in Africa and globally, the European Union has committed US$750 million (€700 million) to the Global Fund’s 8th replenishment to strengthen the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The announcement was made by Jozef SÃkela, Commissioner for International Partnerships, at the One Health Summit in Lyon,
Read More#BREAKING: Ethiopia Declares Marburg Virus Outbreak
By Michael Gwarisa Health officials who were initially skeptical about the cause of a suspected haemorrhagic fever reported in Jinka, Southern Region of Ethiopia, have now confirmed that the disease is the Marburg virus. Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal illness in humans. The average
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