Zim averts 2 million Aids-related deaths . . . nears 90-90-90 goal

Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE has successfully averted close to two million Aids-related deaths and three million new HIV infections over the past 16 years, a National Aids Council (Nac) senior official revealed.

This comes at a time when data shows that the country has moved closer to achieving the 90-90-90 target for ending Aids by 2030. The 90-90-90 is a concept introduced by the United Nation’s programme on HIV/Aids in 2013.

Rationale behind the concept is that by 2020, 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their status, 90 percent of people who are diagnosed will be on antiretroviral treatment and 90 percent of those who receive antiretroviral will be virally suppressed.

Speaking in Kwekwe recently, Nac monitoring and evaluation director Mr Amen Mpofu said the country had managed to prevent 1,7 million deaths, 55 percent of expected Aids-related deaths since 2001.

Mr Mpofu revealed that the country had also managed to avert three million new HIV infections in the same period. He attributed the achievements to the country’s robust HIV response programmes, which he however, said might need to be relooked if the country was to achieve more.

“The HIV response has averted 1,7 million (55 percent) Aids-related deaths from expected three million. The programmes have also averted 68 percent (three million) of new infections since 2001. If we hadn’t implemented these programmes we wouldn’t have been here,” he said.

Mr Mpofu added, “If we are to avert new infections we need to do business unusually. Now we are on the maintenance phase towards the elimination agenda. Some of the issues that we face are policy in nature and we need to look at them for us to achieve what we want. For example, HIV prevalence is high among sex workers. How, from a policy point of view can we intervene?”

Mr Mpofu revealed that the country had made significant strides towards achieving the 90-90-90 goal of ending Aids by 2030.

He however, pointed the need for the country to scale up its HIV response if the targets were to be met.

“On HIV testing we have so far achieved 74,2 percent of the target, on treatment we are on 86,8 percent and on viral load suppression we are on 86,5 percent. Zimbabwe is very close to achieving the three 90s. What we need to do now is find which populations are not testing. We need to target those populations that have a higher chance of contracting HIV and ensure that we test them and put them on treatment,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said Nac was now exploring moonlight HIV testing mining communities and populations that previously could not access HIV testing services.

“Like I said we need to scale up our programmes if we are to achieve our targets. In mining communities we are now looking at moonlight testing, where we bring the service at night because we discovered that during the day people will be busy.

“This is the kind of innovation we are looking at,” he said.

According to the Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (Zimphia) Aids related deaths have declined by 77 percent in the country in the last decade.

At least five per 1 000 Aids-related deaths were recorded in 2016 against 50 per 1 000 which was recorded at the height of the epidemic in 1994.

The country has also witnessed a significant drop in HIV prevalence and incidence rates over the years. HIV prevalence in 15-49 year-olds is now 14 percent from 14,8 percent while the rate of new infections among the same age group has been reduced from 0,88 percent to 0,48 percent.