HIV and AIDS remain the leading causes of death in Zimbabwe

HIV and AIDS remain the leading causes of death in Zimbabwe, accounting for over 25% of all fatalities.

Speaking at the 15th Annual Conference of the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) in Victoria Falls, Mr. Tonderai Kadzere, Acting Director of Policy Planning and Health Economics at the Ministry of Health and Child Care, highlighted the underfunding of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health in the country.

According to 2022 reports, the top 10 causes of death in Zimbabwe include HIV and AIDS, which account for 25.18% of deaths, followed by influenza and pneumonia (9.47%), road traffic accidents (6.46%), coronary heart disease (4.96%), diarrhoeal diseases in children under five (4.48%), low birth weight (4.07%), stroke (4.06%), severe underweight in children under five (3.47%), birth trauma (3.12%), and diabetes mellitus (3.02%).

Mr. Kadzere called on medical aid societies and healthcare funders to collaborate with the government in addressing NCDs through prevention, to ease the economic burden.

He also noted the country's progress in HIV prevention and treatment, with 95% of people living with HIV aware of their status, on treatment, and achieving viral suppression. Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) coverage is at 99% for Zimbabwe's 1.3 million HIV-positive individuals, with a prevalence rate of 11.8%.