NAC’s HIV response efforts pay off for Mat South

THE HIV response in Matebeleland South has been improving dropping the prevalence and incidence rates in the province owing to consistent massive campaigns by the National AIDS Council (NAC) over the past 11 years. By Kuda Pembere recently in Gwanda This was said by the former NAC Mat South Provincial Manager Mr Isaia Abureni during a media tour around his province organised by the organization. Despite the province ranking the highest in terms of HIV prevalence in the country in most of the years, its incidence dropped by more than…

Loading

Read More

The imperative of integrated person-centered care to achieving Universal Health Coverage

By Vivian Mugarisi Harare, Zimbabwe – 51-year-old Kay Mabika** adheres to her HIV medication. Testing positive for HIV in 2006 added more weight and complexities onto the burden of living with diabetes, which she was diagnosed with 4 years earlier. Despite being strict in adhering to antiretroviral treatment (ART), Mabika struggles to manage her diabetic condition and is worried that she may not even be able to afford the medication when she retires. Due to the diabetic condition, she lost her sight in her left eye and the right one…

Loading

Read More

Zim Global Fund Indaba Spotlights Triple Threat Of HIV,TB and NCDs

ZIMBABWE is currently meeting other African countries in Harare for the Global Fund Regional workshop to support countries with integrating NCDs and mental health into their funding request proposals to the Global Fund. By Michael Gwarisa The three day meeting is being attended by delegates from Ministries of Health from the African region, partners, and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) from Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Various speakers who during the official opening day concured that while there have been huge investments towards HIV, TB and malaria response through…

Loading

Read More

ZACH Rallies Media to Amplify Voices of Adolescents Girls and women at risk of GBV

NEW HIV infections being recorded in Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe could be linked to harmful practices such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), Child Marriages and sexual abuse obtaining in the country, the Zimbabwe Association of Church related Hospitals (ZACH) has warned. By Michael Gwarisa UNAIDS data shows that  Adolescent Girls and Young Women from sub-Saharan Africa, aged 15-24, remain at substantial risk of acquiring HIV and in 2021, they accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in 2021 largely due to  biological, socio-economic, religious, and…

Read More

NAC 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 More

JHWO 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 More

HIV Related Cancers On The Decline In Zimbabwe

NEW data released by the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry (ZCR) shows a decline in HIV related cancers owing to increased coverage cancer screening services coupled with other HIV treatment and care services countrywide. By Michael Gwarisa According to the latest Zimbabwe Cancer Registry Report which looked at the Pattern of Cancer in Zimbabwe, the total number of new cancer cases recorded among Zimbabweans of all races (including non-melanoma skin cancer) in 2018 was 7 841 comprising 3 301 (42.1%) males and 4 540 (57.9%) females. While over 7000 new cases of…

Read More

Parirenyatwa’s AHF Centre of Excellence surpasses viral load suppression target

The Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital Opportunistic Infections clinic which is also an AIDS Health Foundation Centre of Excellence as of June 2022 had 5 620 clients with the majority being females while the pediatric ward had about 400, inversely seeing males being many. By Kudakwashe Pembere This was revealed during a media tour of the facility on Thursday. Addressing the press, Dr Pascal Shambira who heads this centre of excellence said their cohort comprised of the first, second and third line regimens of ART. “So how many patients do we…

Read More

Sub-Saharan Africa Has Highest AMR related Deaths-Dr Moeti

WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says African governments should step-up the fight against Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) as the continent has one of highest AMR associated mortality in the world. By Michael Gwarisa In her World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 Messag, Dr Moeti said there was also concerns over high rates of spread of AMR development and spread. Compared to other regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest AMR-associated death rates, at 99 deaths per 100 0001 population, far exceeding previous global projections of 700…

Read More

5 000 Zimbabwean babies infected with HIV in 2021…As mothers shun PMTCT

Close to 5000 babies got infected with HIV in 2021 due the mothers’ reluctancy to get antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and breastfeeding. By Kudakwashe Pembere Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Deputy PMTCT and Paediatric HIV Care and Treatment Coordinator, Dr Precious Andifasi last Friday told journalists at a National Aids Council media training workshop in Chinhoyi that 4 750 babies got infected during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  As a program, we collect some data every year just to try and see where the new infections are coming from. So,…

Read More