The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
MANICALAND province has recorded great strides in preventing new HIV infections and providing anti-retroviral therapy to those infected, the National Aids Council Provincial Manager, Mr Simbarashe Maquina has said.
The number of new HIV infections recorded in the province has gone down from 21.69 percent in 1992 to 0.99 percent currently.
In Manicaland, 99.2 percent of the adult population living with HIV are receiving their ART medication while 81.8 of the young population are also on ART.
Speaking during the launch of the Zimbabwe World Aids Day Campaign which was held recently at Hauna Growth Point, Mr Maquina said treatment coverage in the province has risen.
The campaign ran under the theme ‘Equalise’.
Mr Maquina said in pursuit of the 95-95-95 targets, the expansion of NAC’s interventions in the province has helped in bringing results.
“NAC expanded HIV interventions targeting key populations, adolescent girls, young women and other vulnerable groups in the province.
“We have introduced peer led models targeting sex workers, adolescent girls, young women, boys, prisoners and others with tailor made HIV prevention services,” he said.
Mr Maquina said the services include testing, condoms distribution and STI treatment.
He also said NAC has integrated HIV related diseases in its response.
These include Tuberculosis, non-communicable diseases, cancers, heart diseases, kidney ailments, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“We have integrated most of these diseases in the response as many people are now aging with HIV on account of our successful ART programme and becoming susceptible to non-commucable diseases. Our focus in 2023 is to scale up these services so that we achieve the 95-95-95 targets,” said Mr Maquina.
Provincial Medical Director, Mr Munyaradzi Mukuzunga said without the relevant inclusion, achievement of epidemic control will be held back.
“We are expecting that the number of new infections will keep going down to zero and by 2030, no new infections will be recorded in the province and the country at large,” he said.
“Prevalence in the province is also currently at 9.38 percent, which means that HIV patients in the province are living longer than before. We have turned a tide and now view HIV as a chronic disease. These are good statistics and we are looking forward to improving all these with time.
“We, however, need to improve ART coverage among children, especially among some sectors in the community that do not want to seek health services,” said Dr Mukuzunga.
While giving her speech, the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Nokhuthula Matsikenyeri said as a border province, Manicaland needs to remain vigilant and improve its access to HIV testing and other prevention services.
She also said risk populations also need to receive optimal services.
“I am reliably informed that the number of HIV deaths dropped to 1800 in 2021 from 2387 in 2017. This is good news as it shows resilience of the HIV response and the potential to achieve epidemic control.
“However, while these achievements are pleasing, there is a lot we still have to do to ensure that we are on an irreversible path towards ending AIDS by 2030,” she said.
Minister Matsikenyeri said Government is working hard to ensure the provision of HIV prevention and treatment services.
“The thrust is for groups that would otherwise be inhibited in their quest for services due to inequalities and disproportionate exposure,” she said.
