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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Health Reporter—

OVER half of HIV-positive people in Zimbabwe taking anti-retroviral drugs have lesser chances of transmitting the virus to their partners, a survey has revealed.The study, officially known as the Zimbabwe Population Based Impact Assessment (Zimphia), also showed that an estimated 1, 2 million people were HIV positive, down from 1,4 million estimated in the last survey.

Of these, an estimated 888 000 knew their status while 763 000 were on ART.

About 86 percent of those on antiretroviral treatment had their viral load suppressed.

This means chances of them transmitting HIV to their partners are low.

The number of young adults with a suppressed viral load was lower compared to the number of older adults accounting for 48,6 percent and 78,7 percent, respectively.

Viral load suppression relates to an individual’s response to ARVs.

Zimphia also estimated the number of new HIV infections annually to be 32 000 between the ages 15 and 64 compared to about 42 000 in previous surveys.

The number of HIV infections in children has also gone down from 160 000 at the beginning of the decade to the 80 000.

According to the survey, HIV prevalence among the 20-24 years age group was three times higher among females accounting for 8,5 percent compared to 2,7 percent in males in the same age group. Matabeleland South Province has the highest burden of HIV with a prevalence rate of 22,3 percent.

This is against the national prevalence rate of 14,6 percent.

Manicaland Province had the lowest prevalence rate of 11,4 percent.

Zimphia, which also measured the burden of syphilis in the country, showed that more women were still getting infected with the disease compared to men.

They account for one and 0,6 percent, respectively.

Zimphia was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care with support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and other research institutions.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said Government must scale up its HIV prevention programmes to eliminate new infections in babies born to HIV positive mothers.

“There is no longer any justification for any child to be born HIV positive and for any mother to die of AIDS when we have adequate services to halt this. We need to close the tap of new HIV infections,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.