News / Health
Deadly Sexually transmitted diseases hit Zimbabwe
26 Sep 2013 at 06:00hrs | Views
Masvingo Province has been hit by deadly drug resistant Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) suspected to be finding their way into the country from South Africa and 3,837 such cases have since been diagnosed between January and June this year alone.
Masvingo has the highest number of such cases and it is believed that it is feeding other provinces, including Harare, with the drug-resistant strains. The drug-resistant Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are not responding to medication and this has seen an upsurge in STIs in Masvingo with 41,912 recorded in 2012, according to National Aids Council report.
The health sector has launched an investigation into the new problem. As a result of the drug resistant situation, Masvingo has the highest number of repeated STI whose last year's record was 5,552.
Isaac Taramuse, the National Aids Council monitoring and evaluation co-ordinator said Masvingo has become a source of such drug resistant STIs for provinces like Harare, Mashonaland East and the Midlands.
"We have noticed some drug-resistant STIs like syphilis, gonorrhea and discharges from around 2010 in Masvingo. These drug resistant Sexually Transmitted Infections increased and gradually spread to other places like Harare, Mashonaland East and the Midlands. We believe that Masvingo has become a source of these diseases for other provinces. There is every reason to believe that they (STDs) are coming from South Africa through migrant and transitional labour," said Taramuse.
National Aids Council report indicates that although Masvingo has a smaller population as compared to other provinces, it however, has the second highest STD infections after Harare, though it is just 3,000 cases behind. Harare had 45,699 cases recorded last year.
The reports further reveals that last year Zimbabwe had a total of 261,032 recorded cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections and 157,965 of the cases were women.
With nearly 3 months before 2013 is over, Masvingo has registered 8,900 new STI cases in the first quarter and 10,981 in the second quarter.
Masvingo has the highest number of such cases and it is believed that it is feeding other provinces, including Harare, with the drug-resistant strains. The drug-resistant Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are not responding to medication and this has seen an upsurge in STIs in Masvingo with 41,912 recorded in 2012, according to National Aids Council report.
The health sector has launched an investigation into the new problem. As a result of the drug resistant situation, Masvingo has the highest number of repeated STI whose last year's record was 5,552.
Isaac Taramuse, the National Aids Council monitoring and evaluation co-ordinator said Masvingo has become a source of such drug resistant STIs for provinces like Harare, Mashonaland East and the Midlands.
"We have noticed some drug-resistant STIs like syphilis, gonorrhea and discharges from around 2010 in Masvingo. These drug resistant Sexually Transmitted Infections increased and gradually spread to other places like Harare, Mashonaland East and the Midlands. We believe that Masvingo has become a source of these diseases for other provinces. There is every reason to believe that they (STDs) are coming from South Africa through migrant and transitional labour," said Taramuse.
National Aids Council report indicates that although Masvingo has a smaller population as compared to other provinces, it however, has the second highest STD infections after Harare, though it is just 3,000 cases behind. Harare had 45,699 cases recorded last year.
The reports further reveals that last year Zimbabwe had a total of 261,032 recorded cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections and 157,965 of the cases were women.
With nearly 3 months before 2013 is over, Masvingo has registered 8,900 new STI cases in the first quarter and 10,981 in the second quarter.
Source - zim247
