HIV infections reduced in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe recorded declines in new HIV infections of 9 percent among adults and 27 percent among children from 2015 to 2018, The Herald reports. A government official, speaking at the launch of a two-week review of the national HIV programme, attributed these gains and a 60 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths from 2010 to 2017 to the collective efforts of the government and the private sector. Interventions the government has instituted include voluntary medical male circumcision, pre-exposure prophylaxis, condom promotion and provision, HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, and provision of antiretroviral therapy. The review will identify gaps in these programmes and generate recommendations to help Zimbabwe achieve the goal of ending the epidemic by 2030 (The Herald [Zimbabwe], 17 September 2019).