ZIMBABWE — Zimbabwe’s effective HIV management program has received international recognition, with the country being honored for achieving the UNAIDS set 95-95-95 HIV objectives, making it one of only three Sub-Saharan African nations to attain this distinction.
Zimbabwe’s robust HIV management programme continues to get international acclaim with the country receiving an accolade recognising it as one of only three Sub-Saharan African nations to attain the UNAIDS set 95-95-95 HIV objectives.
Last year, the country achieved its goal ahead of the timeline set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to increase HIV testing to 95% of infected individuals, ensure treatment for 95% of those who test positive, and achieve viral suppression in 95% of treated individuals by 2025.
Dr. Owen Mugurungi, the Ministry of Health and Child Care Aids and TB director, stated that the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) acknowledged the country’s achievement during a recent meeting.
According to UNAIDS’ new targets in 2020, 95% of all individuals living with HIV should know their status, 95% of all diagnosed individuals should receive antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those receiving therapy should have viral suppression by 2025.
Botswana, Lesotho, and the country were recognized by PEPFAR as the only countries in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve the 95-95-95 targets.
Several other African countries, including Eswatini and Switzerland, have achieved over 86 percent viral suppression for all people living with HIV.
Six additional countries, including Rwanda, Qatar, Botswana, Slovenia, Uganda, and Malawi, had achieved the 90-90-90 targets by 2020 in their efforts to attain the UNAIDS set 95-95-95 objectives.
Examples of countries with diverse HIV epidemics that have made substantial progress in testing and treatment for PLWH
|
Country |
Achievement against the target of 90-90-90 by 2020 a |
2020 HIV Prevalenceb |
GDP per capita (constant 2010 US $) |
World Bank Income Group |
|
Eswatini |
>95 – >98- 94 |
26.8 [25.4 – 28.1] |
4 690.2 |
Upper Middle |
|
Switzerland |
93- >98- 96 |
0.2 [0.1 – 0.2] |
80 132.4 |
High |
|
Rwanda |
92->98-96 |
2.5 [2.3 – 2.7] |
849.0 |
Low |
|
Qatar |
93->98-96 |
<0.1 [<0.1 – 0.1] |
59 924.0 |
High |
|
Botswana |
91-95->98 |
19.9 [18.2 – 21.0] |
7 306.5 |
Upper Middle |
|
Slovenia |
90-96-95 |
<0.1 [<0.1 – <0.1] |
25 759.2 |
High |
|
Uganda |
91->98-90 |
5.4 [5.1 – 5.8] |
958.2 |
Low |
|
Malawi |
91-94-93 |
8.1 [7.6 – 8.5] |
526.9 |
Low |
a UNAIDS Special Analysis, 2021.
b UNAIDS Estimates, 2021. Point estimate and uncertainty bounds.
“This is something we should celebrate because it shows that Zimbabweans across all sectors have worked hard to ensure that we end Aids by 2030 and it is an affirmation that we will get there,” he said.
Zimbabwe has made substantial progress in the fight against the HIV epidemic. In 2020, the country had the sixth-highest HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, with 1,3 million people aged 15 to 64 years living with HIV.
According to statistics from the National Aids Council by June last year, 96 percent of people living with HIV knew their status while 97 percent of those who knew their status were on treatment.
Of those people on treatment, 95 percent of them were virally suppressed meaning the medication they were taking was working to suppress the HIV virus.
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
