1 300 die of Aids every week

aids

AT least 1 300 people in Zimbabwe die of HIV and Aids-related illnesses every week with new infections estimated at 66 000, a slight drop from last year’s 66 156, a United Nations Programme on Aids (UNAIDS) official has said.

Speaking during a recent workshop on HIV and Aids Prevention and Economic Empowerment along the Southern Africa Transport Corridors held in Beitbridge, the UNAIDS partnerships adviser in Zimbabwe, Ms Gloria Bille, said the country’s prevalence rate stands at 13,7 percent among the sexual active populations whose age ranges from between 15 and 49 years.

The estimated number of new HIV infections in adults (15-49) peaked in 1992 to 234 999, but declined to 62 883 in 2008. Last year, the new adult infections increased to 66 156.

“There are about 1 300 people dying of Aids related diseases per week in Zimbabwe, which is a major threat to public health and economic development,” she said. However, she could not give last year’s statistics on the weekly deaths.

She said only 215 000 people were on antiretroviral treatment out of the estimated 450 000.

“We have about 158 798 children in Zimbabwe who are infected with HIV and Aids, while about 39 809 children die per year from Aids related ailments and the country has 989 000 orphans due to Aids,” Ms Bille said.

She said the prevalence rate among women was higher compared to men. The prevalence among women is 21,1 percent while among men it is 14,5 percent.
According to official statistics, Matabeleland South Province has the highest number of cases and constitutes 21,6 percent of the total national HIV and Aids statistics, a development that was largely attributed to the high level of mobility among cross-border traders, sex workers and truck drivers passing through Beitbridge Border Post, the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa.

Harare has the lowest number of cases. The Harare metropolitan province’s prevalence rate stands at 12,2 percent. Ms Bille said transport was the major vector for HIV spreading.

“In many developing countries, the first populations found to be affected by the virus were those living and working along major truck routes.
“In fact, research following trends in the HIV epidemic noticed that the virus travelled from high-to-low prevalence areas along the same routes the trucks travelled,” she said.

According to UNAids, HIV transmission was discovered along the truck routes from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. Ms Bille said HIV and Aids had a negative impact on the transport sector as it resulted in a reduction in labour supply.

She said the transmission of the disease could be reduced through quickening the clearance of goods at the border post, intensifying information dissemination to travellers as well as providing decent and affordable accommodation to truckers and cross-border traders.