Zimpapers Logo

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
BULAWAYO has become the first city in Zimbabwe to join Paris Declaration Fast Track Cities, an initiative to help cities commit to ending AIDS by 2030.

The city signed a memorandum of understanding with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and its partners to join over 300 cities in the world that have committed to the initiative to scale up efforts to end the pandemic.

Bulawayo has the third highest HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe at 13, 77 percent which is also higher than the national average which stands at 11, 8 percent. Matabeleland South has the highest prevalence at 20 percent.

New infections among women is more than double the number of infections in men between the ages of 15-24.
Of concern is the prevalence of new infections in vulnerable communities where there are domestic challenges.

Cities account for a large and growing proportion of people living with HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases.

The risk of contracting and vulnerability to HIV and TB infection is often higher in urban areas compared to rural areas because of urban dynamics such as social networking, migration, unemployment and social and economic inequalities.

Since its launch on December 1 in 2014, more than 300 cities and municipalities have signed the Paris Declaration.

Speaking during the signing ceremony yesterday, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni said it is worrying to note that the prevalence of HIV new infections is still high among young girls and women.

“The city of Bulawayo is proud to be joining more than 300 cities worldwide in signing the Paris Declaration on Fast Track Cities Initiative. We are happy to be counted among global cities and municipalities committed towards ending not only the HIV/Aids pandemic but Tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis B Virus    (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV),” said Clr Mguni.

He said the signing of the Paris declaration is a reminder that HIV is still in our midst and that people must be responsive by strengthening HIV programmes and ensuring that all populations at risk especially, those that are left behind, are reached.

Clr Mguni said the rate of HIV prevalence among key populations such as men who have sex with men, transgender, women and gender queer individuals is 23, 4 percent, much higher than 13, 77 percent.

He said also of concern is that the HIV knowledge gap continues to widen adversely affecting the new generation of young people who are the most vulnerable and most affected.

“The signing of this declaration as a city shows our commitment towards HIV programming and our commitment in ensuring that we meet the global target of ending HIV by the year 2030. We note that if we do not make a deliberate effort, we will be left behind,”  said Clr Mguni.

UNAIDS country director Ms Sophia Mukasa said the world is threatened by an expanding list of pandemics as it enters the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fifth decade of the Aids pandemic.

“Inequalities in power, status, rights and voice are driving the HIV pandemic. As the aids strategy 2021-2026 states, to end Aids we have to end the inequalities which perpetuate it,” she said.

“The same laws, policies and strong centred-health services needed to end Aids will also help overcome Covid-19, be ready to tackle future pandemics and support inclusive economic growth and fulfil the human rights of all.

We need a paradigm shift in health financing and invest in community led, human rights based, gender transformative responses, data systems that can detect inequalities and rights based approaches that address those inequalities.”

The National Aids Council director of operations Mr Raymond Yekeye said he was pleased to note that Zimbabwe in the past has managed to meet some of the global HIV targets.

“Recent studies have confirmed that Zimbabwe is one of the few countries that have achieved the UN 90-90-90 Fast Track targets and we are now closer than ever to the goal of ending the Aids pandemic by 2030.

These achievements have been as a result of the hard work of all the stakeholders in the response and based on these results, I am glad to report that our country is now formally aiming for the 95-95-95 target by 2030,” said Mr Yeke. –@thamamoe