Tag: HIV/AIDS

Road Accidents Kill More Young People Than HIV and AIDS- Data

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Even though the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Road Safety shows a 5 percent reduction in traffic deaths globally, data from the same report confirm that road accidents are increasing at an alarming rate. The report shows that road traffic deaths have fallen slightly to 1.19 million per year. However, the price paid for mobility remains far too high as countries continue to lose more young productive people to road-related accidents. According to the report, there were an estimated 1.19 million road traffic deaths in…

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2023 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey Launched

Michael Gwarisa

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…

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‘It’s been 20 Years of Saving Zimbabwean Lives’: PEPFAR’s Carey Speaks on 20 years Anniversary

Michael Gwarisa

THE year 2023, January 28 to be precise, marked exactly 20 years since American President George W. Bush announced the creation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (#PEPFAR) during his State of the Union address.  The new initiative included the goal of providing HIV treatment to two million people living with HIV over five years with a budget of USD$15 billion dollars.  This was the birth of PEPFAR, now the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease. The new initiative included the goal of…

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To Deduct Or Not to Deduct AIDS Levy from VAT in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

Rabson Mandizha* (45) is a carpenter and an entrepreneur from Kuwadzana, Home Industries in Harare. In 2012, he tested positive for HIV and was initiated on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Every month, he gets his ART supply consistently from Kuwadzana Polyclinic and for this, he says is grateful to the government of Zimbabwe and partners for giving him a chance to live a healthy life. By Michael Gwarisa He has four Children with his wife who is also HIV positive and thanks to the national Prevention of Mother Transmission of HIV…

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Outcry As Major Funders Pull The Plug On Dapivirine Vaginal Ring Rollout

Michael Gwarisa

A cloud of uncertainty has gripped the envisaged roll-out of the Vaginal ring or Dapivirine ring in Sub-Saharan Africa amidst indications that two of the major funding partners,  the USAID and PEPFAR won’t be paying for the rollout of the ring but will now only support implementation studies. By Michael Gwarisa  The development comes despite some progress that had been registered on the African continent where some governments had already approved use of the Dapivirine ring as a method of preventing new HIV infections in women. Zimbabwe and South Africa…

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Youth Engage takes global AIDS strategy to grassroots

Patricia Mashiri

Youth Engage Zimbabwe, a  grassroots youth organization that advocates for the health, well-being and human rights of all young people  with the support of UNAIDS, has embarked on country-wide youth dialogues in an effort to  prompt the policy makers to do well on their promise in terms of health service delivery, allocation of funds and prioritization of beneficiaries. By Patricia Mashiri The dialogues are focusing on building evidence-based submissions on key asks, solutions, and priorities that will address gaps at a local grassroots level on HIV/ AIDS, Sexual Gender Based…

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UNAIDS Mourns Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Michael Gwarisa

UNAIDS says it is saddened at the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who fought against apartheid in South Africa and combated racism and injustice worldwide and was also a powerful voice in the fight against AIDS, combating denial, demanding access to treatment for all, calling out against discrimination of people living with HIV, and championing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, women, and children. A giant has fallen. Archbishop Tutu was a freedom fighter, a holy man, a great hero who played a history-shaping role in…

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Race affecting HIV service provision in the United States of America

Michael Gwarisa

HIV service disparities by race have been documented in several parts of the developed world. In the United States of America, black people account for a disproportionately large percentage of new HIV infections in the country: 41% in 2019, although they represent only about 13% of the national population. This is in part due to lower coverage of HIV prevention services. Just 8% of black Americans and 14% of Hispanics/Latinos who were eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis were prescribed it, compared to 63% of whites. Studies also report significant racial disparities…

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Condom Use Declines Among Zim Sex Workers As Country Misses 2020 Condom Distribution Target

Michael Gwarisa

A total 83 million male condoms and 2.9 million female condoms were distributed in the year 2020, which is a far cry from the 100 million for men and 5.5 million that had been targeted for women during the year. By Michael Gwarisa The target misses were largely attributed to service disruption due to Covid-19. The 2020 figures were the lowest compared to the previous three years. The decline in condom distribution also affected uptake and use of condoms by Female Sex Workers and other HIV high risk groups. Presenting…

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Ending AIDS By 2030 In Zimbabwe: Churches Better Positioned To Promote Male Engagement In HIV Response

Michael Gwarisa
Members from various churches gather at the women and girls symposium

CHURCHES and religious institutions play a pivotal role in reducing the number of new HIV infections in men as well as promoting better health seeking behavior amongst in men, top HIV/AIDS experts have said. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZIMPHIA) Key findings,  HIV prevalence was 15.3% among women and 10.2% among men (ZimPHIA 2020), however more men were still not aware of their HIV status and they were lagging behind in terms of viral load suppression. Speaking during a Virtual workshop for ZCC…

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