Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, Senior Health Reporter
ZIMBABWE has recorded a drop in the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate from 11 to 7 percent, a move credited to efforts made by the country to achieve the UNAids 95 goals.
The 95-95-95 targets, set by UNAids, stipulate that 95 percent of the population must know their HIV status, 95 percent of these individuals must be initiated on antiretroviral treatment, and 95 percent of the same population must achieve viral suppression.
National Aids Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer Dr Bernard Madzima stated that Zimbabwe has already surpassed its targets.
“In Zimbabwe, 97 percent of adults have been tested and know their status. Of those, 96 percent are on effective ARV treatment, and among them, 95 percent have a suppressed viral load. The Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) initiative achieved 88,19 percent national coverage in 2024, demonstrating the effectiveness of NAC’s integrated approach, which ensures that pregnant and breastfeeding women receive timely ART, significantly reducing the risk of vertical transmission,” he said.
However, Dr Madzima explained that the target is to further reduce this rate to below five percent, a threshold required for global validation.
“As a country, we acknowledge the work that has been done, but we want to get to less than five percent. We are also part of what is known as the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.
“Zimbabwe is one of the countries that signed up to the global elimination of these three diseases, and as of now, all the districts in Zimbabwe have health workers trained to implement this strategy,” he said.
The country has since established a national validation committee, which is working on the roadmap to eliminate mother-to-child transmission.
To address the risk of HIV transmission during breastfeeding, Zimbabwe has also strengthened its monitoring and prevention programmes.
Studies have shown that some women test negative during pregnancy but later seroconvert (acquire HIV), increasing the risk of passing the virus to their babies.
“There is now an assessment for those women who might have been negative prenatally, but as the pregnancy continues and they begin breastfeeding, we are alert to the possibility that they may be at risk of becoming HIV-positive and, therefore, transmitting the virus to their child.
“So, we have a pre-exposure prophylaxis programme for these women and health workers have been trained to identify those who may be at risk so that they are put on PrEP,” Dr Madzima said.
Zimbabwe’s progress in HIV prevention, testing and treatment has earned international recognition, positioning the country as a model for effective HIV response strategies in Africa.
As the country pushes towards zero new infections and zero mother-to-child transmission, Dr Madzima emphasised that continued investment in HIV prevention, education, and treatment remains a top priority.
The country is also focusing on sustaining and expanding its progress to ensure lasting impact and the elimination of new infections.
Zimbabwe’s success in HIV response was recently acknowledged when the NAC was recognised as a top-performing state entity at the 2025 Performance Contract Awards and Signing Ceremony, highlighting the commitment to strengthening prevention programmes, improving access to treatment, and enhancing surveillance to address emerging challenges.
Through sustained interventions in testing, treatment, and prevention, Zimbabwe is edging closer to eliminating mother-to-child transmission and achieving epidemic control.
