Women, children lag behind in HIV prevention

DESPITE Zimbabwe recording a sharp decline in HIV and Aids-related deaths and infections over the years, the number of vulnerable women and children contracting the disease remains higher than that of men.

Zimbabwe is one of the countries that have achieved the 95-95-95 target, recording a decline in the number of infections and deaths.

The HIV and Aids epidemic remains critical in sub-Saharan Africa, with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) establishing “95-95-95” targets to optimise HIV care.

To address this high burden, UNAids has established the 95-95-95 targets, whereby 95 percent of people living with HIV should be diagnosed, 95 percent of those diagnosed with HIV should be receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of all those receiving ART should achieve viral suppression by 2030.

Addressing people during the recent belated World Aids Day commemoration and annual campaign launch at Mushandike Secondary School, Secretary for the Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa said there is a need to sensitise pregnant women and children on HIV and Aids, to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV.

“Through the array of interventions under the combination HIV prevention strategy, our country has managed to further reduce new HIV infections, down from 27 000 in 2018 to 17 300 in 2022.

“Although this trajectory is pleasing, the country still has to effectively address new infections recorded in 2022, 10 000 were among women,” he said.

“Of the 17 300 new infections recorded in 2022, 4 200 were in children. The majority of these infections are a result of missed opportunities in enrolling pregnant women in the prevention of mother to child transmission associated with home deliveries.”

Dr Pazvakavambwa said communities and leaders including other relevant stakeholders have a critical role to play in ending the knowledge gap.

“The Ministry of Health and Child Care has adequate medicines to prevent transmission of HIV from the mother to the child. This, however, needs to be complemented by community involvement in ensuring that no child is unnecessarily exposed to and born with HIV,” he said.

“Communities should take the lead and ensure that all pregnant women register early and deliver at health centres. Communities also need to address several cultural vulnerabilities that put women and children at increased risk of HIV infection.”

This year’s World Aids Day commemoration ran under the theme “Let Communities Lead,” highlighting the fact that programmes and initiatives perform better when driven by the most impacted communities.

Masvingo province is implementing measures through various service providers to address the imbalances among women, children and men living with HIV.

“In our province, programmes like Sasa (Start, Awareness, Support, Action) and Dreams (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Aids-free, Mentored and Safe Girls and Women) are being implemented to address these disparities,” said Dr Pazvakavambwa.

“Our chiefs and church leadership are therefore being called upon to sensitise their communities and followers to address these vulnerabilities.”

Dr Pazvakavambwa said owing to a robust antiretroviral therapy programme funded by partners like the Aids Health Foundation, the number of Aids-related deaths has dropped from 25 000 in 2018 to 20 000 in 2022

“Nonetheless, additional reductions are required to contain the disease,” he said.