THE PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS IN ZIMBABWE

THE PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS IN ZIMBABWE

The Zimbabwe government with Robert Mugabe as president since 1980 has widely been criticized internationally in recent years due to corruption, human rights abuses and media repression, which have had an impact on the AIDS epidemic while Zimbabwe has become increasingly isolated, both politically and economically.

The first reported AIDS case in Zimbabwe occurred in 1985. By the end of the 1980s, around 10 percent of the adult population was thought to be infected with HIV. This figure rose dramatically in the first half of the 1990s, peaking and stabilisig at 29 percent between 1995 and 1997. But since this time the HIV prevalence is thought to have declined, making Zimbabwe one of the first African nations to witness such a trend. According to government figures, the adult prevalence was 20.1 percent in 2005, and fell to 15.6 percent in 2007. The United Nations and WHO have accepted these revised figures.

Yet although survey reports indicate a fall in adult HIV prevalence, caution should be taken when interpreting the available data; it is not yet known whether the trend is a sign of long-term change or merely a temporary movement. Considering large numbers of homeless and displaced people in Zimbabwe who are not likely to have been surveyed, the results cannot be taken as wholly representative of the situation. A rise in the number of people dying from AIDS is thought to have played a role in the decline, as well as an increase in the number of people – HIV positive or otherwise; who have migrated to other countries.

Among those questioning the official statistics is Brain Nyathi a Zimbabwean Health practitioner in South Africa. He claims, “Many people have left Zimbabwe and the ones that are left are so stuck down by poverty and the collapse of the health delivery system such that they cannot access hospitals. We wonder if these figures can be trusted.”

How ever, there is evidence of positive changes in sexual behaviour. The use of condom has increased, a higher number of young people are delaying first sex and many people have reduced their number of sexual partners. It is thought that an increased awareness of HIV/AIDS has influenced these changes. In many cases, people may have changed their behaviour after witnessing the effects of the epidemic first hand, through the deaths of friends and relatives.

While it is encouraging that sexual behaviour change has helped to reduce HIV prevalence, there is a long way to go. As the WHO country representative, Dr Custoda Mandlhate pointed out – “a sero-prevalence rate of 15.6 percent remains high and this is not the moment for relaxing.”

When AIDS emerged in Zimbabwe, the government was slow to acknowledge the problem and take appropriate action. Discussions on HIV/AIDS were minimal and President Mugabe rarely addressed the subject in speeches. When he did it was considered newsworthy. The government should not present as innocent victims of inevitable problems; many of the struggles facing the country stem from their mistakes and failures.