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Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE could afford to provide life prolonging anti-retroviral drugs to nearly 750 000 people living with HIV and Aids beginning next year using new World Health Organisation guidelines, National Aids Council chief executive Dr Tapuwa Magure has said. At the moment, of the estimated 1,2 million people living with HIV, 400 000 are on ARVs.
In an interview yesterday, Dr Magure said following a meeting that was held in Harare recently, officials agreed that ‘the earlier the better’ to start putting people in need of ARVs on treatment.
“In principal, we can afford to put more people on ARVs including discordant couples, pregnant women and those having co-infection of HIV and TB as stipulated by the WHO guidelines,” said Dr Magure.
“We are optimistic that beginning of next year, we would be able to start implementing these new guidelines.”
Dr Magure said their optimism was based on the fact that when the country applied for Global Funding under the new funding model, some of the guidelines by WHO had already been captured.
Zimbabwe is currently using the 2010 WHO guidelines which use CD4 count of 350 for ART initiation.
The Global Fund has so far approved about US$300 million for HIV programmes.
It is, however, yet to approve the additional US$244 million requested by Zimbabwe as the actual need to fully combat HIV throughout the country.
The country will know of its fate before the end of the year after the Global Fund completes mobilisation of more funds.
The country co-ordinating mechanism co-ordinator Mr Rangarirai Chiteure said once this grant is approved, the country would be able to sustain the new guidelines.
“Indications so far show that a number of donors pledged significant amounts towards the Global Fund. Given those indications we hope that they (Global Fund) will be able to provide what is needed,” he said.
According to the new WHO guidelines, countries should start commencing people on ARVs when their CD4 Count is not less than 500.
Currently initiation of ARVs starts when one’s CD4 Count reaches 350.
Online Reporter