BULAWAYO - While Zimbabwe has managed to maintain a steady decline of the HIV prevalence rate over the past few years, there has been an increase of new HIV infections in Bulawayo and Beitbridge, it has emerged.Currently the prevalence rate for Bulawayo stands at 18 per cent, compared to the national prevalence rate which is currently pegged at 13, 7 per cent. The prevalence rate for Beitbridge is currently at 21 per cent.
Speaking at an HIV/Aids media workshop in Bulawayo last week, the Bulawayo city council Clinical Medical officer, Dr Khulamuzi Nyathi, expressed concern at the news.
“As the city’s health department we are worried about the high HIV prevalence rate in Matabeleland, particularly Bulawayo and Beitbridge. What is more worrying is the fact that the prevalence rate in these two cities is far higher than the national prevalence rate,” said Dr Nyathi.
Musa Sibindi, the Matabeleland Aids Council (MAC) Capacity Building Manager, attributed the high infection rate in Beitbridge and Bulawayo to their proximity to the boarder.
“Being a boarder town, Beitbridge is heavily populated. The spread of the disease in such an environment is inevitable especially when we also consider the fact that some professionals like truck drivers and cross boarder traders spend several days at the boarder away from their spouses,” said Sibindi.
It is estimated that 1, 6 million of the country’s population are living with the HIV virus.
Post published in: News