Online Reporter
The Herald, 26 February 1986
SIX cases of the disease Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) have been positively identified in Zimbabwe over the past eight months. Four of the victims, including a six year-old, have died.
The Minister of Health Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, said yesterday in Harare that the two surviving patients were well and their condition was being solely monitored.
He said rumours had been circulating about Aids victims in Zimbabwe. “Most of you will recall that last year I informed the House of Assembly that we were carrying out test on thousands of blood samples. To date we have had 20 000 samples tested.” The samples had been sent to the United States and Britain.
Results recently received showed that six cases had been confirmed positive. Of the six, four had died.
Cde Sekeramayi said the six-year-old had died from a type of cancer called carposi sarcoma. The second victim, a 50- year-old man, died of meningitis
Another man aged 40 died of tuberculosis while the fourth patient, a man of 35, died of typhoid. Cde Sekeramayi said the disease the victims had suffered were normally potential killers.
“You will note that my ministry has carried out tests on 20 000 samples of blood from donor’s patience and other volunteers. This is a continuous exercise despite the fact that only six cases have been confirmed positive.
“A meeting of the World Health Organisation, African sub-region will be held in Brazzaville from March 3 to 7 to discuss the problems of Aids in Africa, he said.
Zimbabwe would be represented at this meeting by Cde Sekeramayi, the Secretary for Health, Dr Office Chidede, and the director of medical services in the forces.
A full statement on the decisions and recommendations of the meeting would be issued when the delegation returned. Cde Chidede said blood samples screened identified as positive did not necessarily mean that the patients and donors were affected by the disease. Some samples contained Aids antibodies while others carried the Aids virus, both types were sent overseas for confirmation.
Lessons for today:
- The Ministry of Health tested 20,000 blood samples to identify early cases. Large-scale testing and monitoring help governments understand and respond to new diseases before they spread widely.
- There were rumours circulating about AIDS victims, prompting the minister to clarify the situation publicly. Accurate, transparent information from authorities helps reduce fear, panic, and misinformation during health crises.
- The victims died from cancers, meningitis, TB, and typhoid. AIDS itself may not directly kill, but it severely weakens the immune system, making common diseases deadly.
- Only six cases were confirmed, but the government treated the issue seriously. Even a small number of cases should be taken seriously when dealing with new or unfamiliar diseases. The ministry emphasised that testing would continue despite only six confirmed cases.
- Even though millions are still living with HIV, the world has made major progress, but new crises now threaten to undo decades of gains. According to the latest UNAIDS 2025 Global Update, about 40.8 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2024, the highest number ever. This is not because infections are rising, but because people are surviving longer thanks to treatment.
