79 000 men circumcised in Bulawayo

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ABOUT 79 000 men in Bulawayo have been circumcised since the launch of the four-year Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) strategic and operational plan in 2015.

ABOUT 79 000 men in Bulawayo have been circumcised since the launch of the four-year Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) strategic and operational plan in 2015.

By NQOBANI NDLOVU

According to the Bulawayo City Council’s health, housing and education committee report, the city had targeted to circumcise 88 760 men by 2017 under the VMMC plan.

“The Bulawayo target by 2017 was 88 760 and by September 2016, 78 489 (88%) of the overall target had since been circumcised,” the report read.

“Since the beginning of the VMMC programme, the country had continued to scale up this intervention in all provinces towards the scale up target of 1,3 million target by 2018.

“As of July 2016 over 710 000 males had been circumcised since inception of the programme, which represents 55% of the overall target of circumcising 1,3 million males.

“While this was notable progress it, however, reflected that the programme was trailing behind in its set targets and a similar trend observed for the first half of the year 2016.”

VMMC was launched in February 2015 as part of government efforts to curb new HIV and Aids infections.

The country continues to register a marginal decline of new HIV infections through its multi-sector response to the epidemic co-ordinated by the National Aids Council.

The government has also launched HIV research priorities for the country meant to spearhead rapid response to the epidemic in Zimbabwe and the southern African region.