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THE high migration of Zimbabweans from Matabeleland provinces to neighbouring countries has resulted in high HIV prevalence rate, MPs heard.The high prevalence rate has also been compounded by the fact that Matabeleland South and North have high human traffic in border towns.
National Aids Council officials said while prevalence was decreasing in other provinces, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo and Matabeleland North’s prevalence stood at 21 percent, 19 percent and 18 percent respectively against the national average of slightly under 15 percent.
“The high prevalence in border towns is mostly attributed to a lot of mobility and transactional sex that takes place within those border towns,” NAC chief executive Dr Tapuwa Magure told the parliamentary thematic committee on HIV/Aids on Monday.
“So you look at Beitbridge, Victoria Falls, almost all the border towns, HIV prevalence is high because of a lot of informal activity taking place all the time.
“I can also touch on why Matabeleland North and South have a higher prevalence rate. I would also attribute that to spousal separation. We all know if you go to Tsholotsho, almost all the men are in Botswana and South Africa. But those women who are left are still human beings.”
NAC monitoring and evaluation director, Amon Mpofu, told the committee chaired by MDC-T senator for Midlands, Lilian Timveous, that there was need for prevention programmes in Matabeleland provinces by addressing spousal separation.
Mashonaland East has 16 percent prevalence rate, Mashonaland West and Midlands have 15 percent apiece, Manicaland has 14 percent, Mashonaland Central and Masvingo have 14 percent while Harare is the least with 13 percent.
Harare has the highest number of people who are infected in terms of population followed by Manicaland, Midlands, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Matabeleland South and North while Bulawayo has the least number of infected people.
Dr Magure said there were about 1,4 million people living with HIV in Zimbabwe of whom 963,000 were in need of anti-retro-viral therapy in line with the World Health Organisation’s new guidelines of initiating HIV positive people on anti-retroviral therapy when their CD4 count is at 500.
He said there were about 76,000 new infections annually while about 46,000 people are estimated to die from HIV every year.
There are almost one million Aids orphans, Dr Magure added.
Dr Magure said they collected about $33,5 million last year in Aids Levy from about $32,5 million the previous year. He said about 70 percent of the collections went to HIV/Aids intervention programmes, while logistics and support chewed up 21 percent.
Programme management and coordination, he said, accounted for seven percent while capital expenditure got two percent.
Online Reporter