News / Health
Random door to door HIV testing starts
27 Oct 2015 at 01:35hrs | Views
RANDOM door to door HIV and Aids testing started in Binga yesterday as part of the Zimbabwe Population Based HIV Impact Assessment (ZIMPHIA) targeting 15,000 households countrywide.
The survey, which will run for six months, is led by the Ministry of Health and Child Care in partnership with the National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, Biomedical Research and Training Institute and other international partners like ICAP at Columbia University.
It is aimed at measuring the burden of HIV and the impact of Zimbabwe's HIV prevention, care and treatment services. The Director of the Aids and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Owen Mugurungi, confirmed the assessment commencement in Binga yesterday.
"The survey has officially started in Binga following the kick-off in Mbire District of Mashonaland Central which was launched on October 16 and started on October 18 with 12 ZIMPHIA field teams kicking off data collection in the Northern region of Zimbabwe," said Dr Mugurungi.
"ZIMPHIA survey data collection has started, marking a very important milestone in our HIV response efforts as a country. We're expecting a smooth survey and look forward to high rates of participation by the population."
He said the ZIMPHIA and the PHIA Project as a whole, will provide critical evidence that will guide HIV programmes over the next decade.
"So far, two provinces have started the testing survey and we're beginning with far flung areas so that the rainy season doesn't affect our survey," Dr Mugurungi added.
During the launch of the programme that was attended by chiefs and health officials on Friday, Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cain Mathema, said the survey results would enable the province and the nation to determine the impact of HIV and Aids interventions.
"It'll give us an opportunity to determine the interventions that were and are still being done as well as the gaps that are there. With this information, we'll be in a position to direct and redirect our efforts and energies towards those interventions that will bring the best desirable results," he said.
Mathema said traditional leaders have a significant role to play in the progamme as they are the ones who live and lead the people.
"They're a strategic focal point for community mobilisation. The same leaders will continuously help in mobilising the community to participate in the survey. Traditional leaders cover every corner of the province including the new urban areas. Matabeleland North province has a total of 40 chiefs, who have several headmen and village heads under them; hence they're a very important resource in the ZIMPHIA," he said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director, Doctor Nyasha Masuka, in a speech read on his behalf by Hwange District Medical Officer, Dr Patson Toforeyi, said the survey is the first of its kind in Africa and will be a global example on HIV impact assessment.
The survey will be implemented in 15 to 20 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
"We're more than excited about ZIMPHIA as its results will offer us a platform as policy-makers to better understand the relative impact of HIV at population level and additionally provide participants with an opportunity to know their HIV status," he said.
Dr Masuka said the key focus of the survey includes prevalence of HIV in adults and children, prevalence of anti-retroviral drug resistance, prevalence of syphilis among adults and coverage of ARVs in the country.
"The assessment seeks to ascertain the burden of HIV and Aids in the country and the impact of interventions made so far and 15,000 households randomly selected from all the country's 10 provinces will be involved in the study," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to take stock as government on what we've managed to achieve as a country in the last 10 years or so after HIV was declared an emergency in 2002."
Chief Shana said traditional leaders are prepared to mobilise communities for the survey to be a success.
"We've structures which we use to mobilise communities and it's these structures that we'll use to disseminate the message. You did a good job in including us in this survey and we're also prepared to partner with you," he said.
"I want to assure you that as a province we're geared for this survey and we'll leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we don't disappoint you and the nation as well."
The survey, which will run for six months, is led by the Ministry of Health and Child Care in partnership with the National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, Biomedical Research and Training Institute and other international partners like ICAP at Columbia University.
It is aimed at measuring the burden of HIV and the impact of Zimbabwe's HIV prevention, care and treatment services. The Director of the Aids and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Owen Mugurungi, confirmed the assessment commencement in Binga yesterday.
"The survey has officially started in Binga following the kick-off in Mbire District of Mashonaland Central which was launched on October 16 and started on October 18 with 12 ZIMPHIA field teams kicking off data collection in the Northern region of Zimbabwe," said Dr Mugurungi.
"ZIMPHIA survey data collection has started, marking a very important milestone in our HIV response efforts as a country. We're expecting a smooth survey and look forward to high rates of participation by the population."
He said the ZIMPHIA and the PHIA Project as a whole, will provide critical evidence that will guide HIV programmes over the next decade.
"So far, two provinces have started the testing survey and we're beginning with far flung areas so that the rainy season doesn't affect our survey," Dr Mugurungi added.
During the launch of the programme that was attended by chiefs and health officials on Friday, Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cain Mathema, said the survey results would enable the province and the nation to determine the impact of HIV and Aids interventions.
"It'll give us an opportunity to determine the interventions that were and are still being done as well as the gaps that are there. With this information, we'll be in a position to direct and redirect our efforts and energies towards those interventions that will bring the best desirable results," he said.
Mathema said traditional leaders have a significant role to play in the progamme as they are the ones who live and lead the people.
"They're a strategic focal point for community mobilisation. The same leaders will continuously help in mobilising the community to participate in the survey. Traditional leaders cover every corner of the province including the new urban areas. Matabeleland North province has a total of 40 chiefs, who have several headmen and village heads under them; hence they're a very important resource in the ZIMPHIA," he said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director, Doctor Nyasha Masuka, in a speech read on his behalf by Hwange District Medical Officer, Dr Patson Toforeyi, said the survey is the first of its kind in Africa and will be a global example on HIV impact assessment.
The survey will be implemented in 15 to 20 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
"We're more than excited about ZIMPHIA as its results will offer us a platform as policy-makers to better understand the relative impact of HIV at population level and additionally provide participants with an opportunity to know their HIV status," he said.
Dr Masuka said the key focus of the survey includes prevalence of HIV in adults and children, prevalence of anti-retroviral drug resistance, prevalence of syphilis among adults and coverage of ARVs in the country.
"The assessment seeks to ascertain the burden of HIV and Aids in the country and the impact of interventions made so far and 15,000 households randomly selected from all the country's 10 provinces will be involved in the study," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to take stock as government on what we've managed to achieve as a country in the last 10 years or so after HIV was declared an emergency in 2002."
Chief Shana said traditional leaders are prepared to mobilise communities for the survey to be a success.
"We've structures which we use to mobilise communities and it's these structures that we'll use to disseminate the message. You did a good job in including us in this survey and we're also prepared to partner with you," he said.
"I want to assure you that as a province we're geared for this survey and we'll leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we don't disappoint you and the nation as well."
Source - chronicle
