BULAWAYO has made significant progress towards achieving the United Nations 95-95-95 targets aimed at ending Aids by 2030, according to the National Aids Council (Nac)
However, men and children are still lagging in meeting the goals, prompting calls for a more radical and inclusive approach to the fight against the disease.
The 95-95-95 strategy aims for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 95% of those on ART to have suppressed viral loads.
Nac Bulawayo co-ordinator Douglas Moyo revealed these details during a male engagement dialogue in the city on Wednesday.
He noted that the "Mexico City Policy," reinstated by United States President Donald Trump, adversely affected HIV programmes in Zimbabwe and Bulawayo.
“Programmes affected by that policy include the purchasing of condoms. The order stated that US funds will be stopped from supporting HIV prevention programmes. Condom distribution is one such programme, meaning all related donor funding ceased,” Moyo said.
“This means as individuals and fathers, we are now more responsible for our own health. Another prevention programme impacted is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
“The pills, taken to prevent HIV transmission, are no longer given to everyone but are now restricted largely to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.”
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Moyo added that voluntary medical male circumcision, once free, is now paid for due to funding cut.
He lamented that many organisations shut down as a result, leading to job losses.
“When jobs are lost, it means a reduction in the number of people contributing to the Aids levy,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Moyo said Bulawayo was performing well overall in reaching the 95-95-95 targets, but was concerned that men and children were being left behind.
“Children are looked after by their parents. Which can be the reason they are left behind?” he asked.
Moyo also said Nac launched the “Not In My Village” programme in Bulawayo, engaging legislators, councillors, residents’ associations and transport operators to tackle child marriages and adolescent pregnancies.
“The programme has helped because councillors committed to taking it to their wards and I have seen some holding community meetings on these issues,” he said.
Citing Bulawayo City Council data from January to August 2025, Moyo revealed an increase in adolescent pregnancies.
For example, in the 10-14 age group, five pregnancies were recorded in Emakhandeni and four in Nkulumane.
The figures were significantly higher in the 15-19 age group.
Moyo highlighted that fewer men in Bulawayo go for HIV testing compared to women.
“The problem we have is that the number of men testing positive for HIV in Bulawayo is increasing. It is lower than that of women, but it is still rising,” he said.
He expressed further concern over rising sexually transmitted infections and an increase in male suicides in the city, based on police statistics.
“Why is it becoming easy for men to commit suicide? Even children are joining this trend, where being reprimanded for not doing homework leads them to take their own lives,” Moyo said.
In a separate media briefing in Esigodini, Nac Bulawayo provincial monitoring and evaluation officer Primrose Sethule Dube reported a 44% decline in new HIV infections in Bulawayo in 2024 compared to 2020.
The estimated number of people living with HIV fell from 79 711 in 2020 to 76 608 in 2024.
ART coverage reached 98,3% in 2024, up from 87,5% in 2020 while total new infections fell from 1 016 in 2020 to 567 in 2024 — a 44% reduction.
The greatest improvements were among young people and children, both showing a 50% reduction.
Bulawayo accounted for 5,7% of Zimbabwe’s 16 723 Aids-related deaths in 2024.
According to the statistics, HIV prevalence remains higher in women (16,3% in 2020 to a lower rate in 2024) than in men (9,9% in 2020).
Young women aged 15-19 have an HIV incidence 6.5 times higher than their male peers.
