THE National Aids Council (NAC) says Bulawayo is edging closer to achieving HIV epidemic control, despite remaining gaps as Zimbabwe works towards the 2030 target of zero new infections.
This was said by NAC Bulawayo provincial programmes officer Douglas Moyo during a media engagement meeting held in Esigodini, Matabeleland South, recently.
Moyo said Zimbabwe achieved the global 95-95-95 targets, although some gaps remained that needed attention.
“As a province our performance is not very different from the national outlook. We indicated that as a country we achieved the three 95s and in some areas we performed beyond that. Our programme data shows that we achieved the three 95s,” he said.
Moyo said the province was close to achieving epidemic control.
“The first 95 shows that 95% of people living with HIV know their status. The second 95 shows that of those diagnosed, 98% are on ART. The last 95 shows that 96% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. That is programme data, not estimates,”he said.
On HIV incidence, he said the rate among people aged 15 to 49 had declined to 10,7% by the end of last year, down from 13,2% in 2020.
Moyo noted that female prevalence remained higher at 13,6% compared to 7,8% among males, indicating a continued gendered burden of the epidemic.
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“The burden might mean that we have got more women accessing services as their data is captured. But are all men accessing services so that their data is captured?”
He said challenges remained in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), where the positivity rate stood at 3% in 2025, indicating gaps in prevention efforts.
“So it means as a province we still need to do a lot in our PMTCT programme,” Moyo said.
He added that 565 people were initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART), while HIV testing data showed concerning disparities between men and women.
For the 20-24 age group, more women than men were accessing HIV-related services.
Moyo further noted that HIV positivity rates were higher among men at 4% compared to 3,4% among women, raising concern about low male uptake of testing services.
On voluntary medical male circumcision, 454 men participated, with 71% aged between 15 and 19 years. However, Moyo said over 90% were not tested for HIV, representing a missed opportunity.
He also noted that HIV and health services were increasingly becoming user-pays, marking a shift from the earlier universal free access model.
In schools, 119 480 learners were reached with life skills, sexuality, HIV and Aids education, while 29 458 (25%) joined school health clubs and 21 178 (18%) were referred for services in 2025.
However, 533 learners dropped out of secondary school, with girls most affected due to pregnancy and early marriage.
On condom distribution, 2,57 million condoms were distributed in 2025, with 96% being male condoms. Distribution, however, declined from 875 880 in the first quarter to 479 737 in the fourth quarter.
Among out-of-school youth, 6 139 were reached per quarter, while 2 813 tertiary students received comprehensive sexuality education, a 262% increase from 2024
