“I’ll Fix It”: Elon Musk Responds to Outcry Over Lenacapavir Funding Halt
By Michael Gwarisa Billionaire Elon Musk, who also serves as an advisor to United States President Donald Trump, has hinted at intervening in the ongoing funding crisis affecting global HIV programs—particularly the rollout of Lenacapavir, a groundbreaking once-a-year HIV prevention drug. Musk made the remarks during a conversation with Bloomberg’s Mitchell Hussein at the Qatar
Read MoreHalf of UNAIDS Employees Set to Lose Jobs Amid Major Restructuring
By Michael Gwarisa UNAIDS is set to cut half of its workforce as the organization grapples with significant funding shortfalls and a shifting global donor landscape. According to internal communications, staff were informed during a town hall meeting on Tuesday that the number of employees will be reduced from around 600 to between 280 and
Read MoreUNAIDS Estimates 6.3M AIDS-Related Deaths, 8.7M New Infections from 2025-2029 Amid U.S. Aid Freeze
By Michael Gwarisa Estimates from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warn of a surge in HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths over the next four years if the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) permanently shuts down. The forecast follows the partial suspension of PEPFAR projects and the closure of USAID-funded
Read MoreZimbabwe Needs To Revive Abstinence Message In HIV Programming
By Michael Gwarisa While Zimbabwe has made significant strides in addressing the HIV burden, there is a need for renewed messaging regarding HIV prevention to sustain the gains realised, health experts have said. Zimbabwe is among the few African countries that have attained the UNIADS 95-9-95 targets in adults. Over the past four years, there
Read MoreOver 20 Zimbabwean MPs Appointed Into Global Parliamentary Platform on HIV and AIDS
By Michael Gwarisa A new Global Parliamentary Platform on HIV and AIDS has been established at the ongoing International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany in a bid to build momentum to end AIDS ahead of the 2030 target. The new platform is set to provide the space, tools, and other resources to unite, strengthen, and
Read MoreZimbabwe’s Integrated Specimen Transportation Boosts Viral Load Coverage Across the Country
“We have managed to reach the 95% target because we are managing to collect the Viral Load samples and we are managing to get the results of the tests.” By Michael Gwarisa To fast-track progress towards ending AIDS by 2030, Zimbabwe has increased Viral Load (VL) testing coverage in almost all 63 districts, following the
Read MoreHIV among the elderly, a unique emerging Public Health Concern in Zimbabwe
Gogo Chiware (78) (Not her real name), lives with her elderly husband in Hatfield, Harare. She has been living with HIV for the past 15 years and she has been on treatment for 13 years now. However, due to her advanced age, she at times forgets to take her Antiretroviral (ARV) medications. By Michael Gwarisa
Read MoreWoman Infected With HIV By Her Boyfriend
In this era of Mjolo (Casual sex and dating), a lot is at stake. The risk perception for HIV, especially in the the young generation at times known as Ama 2k, has greatly declined simply because people are no longer dying of AIDS as was the case two decades ago. By Nthokozo Gudu A number
Read MoreUNAIDS Optimistic AIDS Will End By 2030 Despite Setback in Mosaic HIV Vaccine
The end of the Mosaico HIV vaccine trial must lead to a continued drive to innovate as well as an urgency to ensure that proven HIV prevention and treatment options reach all who need them, says UNAIDS. By Staff Reporter Rapid progress against the HIV pandemic is possible if existing prevention and treatment options are
Read MoreCriminalisation has hurt sex workers and perpetuated the AIDS pandemic
Responding to the decision of South Africa’s Cabinet to propose a Bill that will repeal criminalisation of sex work, UNAIDS Country Director Eva Kiwango said: “The evidence is clear: Criminalisation has been proven to have increased the risks faced by South Africa’s sex workers, hurt their health and safety, and obstructed South Africa’s HIV response.
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