Zimbabwe on track to end Aids by 2030

The National Aids Council (NAC) says Zimbabwe remains on track to achieve its goal of ending Aids as a public health threat by 2030, despite reductions in financial support from some international partners, including the United States government.

The council says it is strengthening prevention programmes and increasingly relying on domestic funding mechanisms such as the Aids Levy to sustain the national HIV response amid shifting donor priorities.

Speaking at a media engagement meeting in Bulawayo yesterday, NAC provincial manager Sinatra Nyathi said Zimbabwe had entered the "last mile" in the fight against HIV and Aids and must ensure that no communities are left behind.

"We are in the last mile towards ending Aids by 2030. The focus now is to make sure that no one and no place is left behind," said Nyathi.

She acknowledged that some development partners, particularly the United States government, had scaled back funding support but stressed that Zimbabwe would continue implementing critical programmes using local resources and support from remaining partners.

According to Nyathi, the country is prioritising high-impact, low-cost interventions aimed at preventing new infections and sustaining gains made over the past four decades.

The key focus areas include eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, promoting consistent condom use, strengthening behaviour change programmes and reducing new infections among vulnerable populations.

"I believe that four decades into the epidemic, people know and have information, but we now need behaviour change," she said.

Nyathi said Zimbabwe's greatest resource in the fight against HIV was its people and called on communities to actively share accurate information and encourage healthy behaviours.

She highlighted significant progress in treatment programmes, noting that Zimbabwe has exceeded the global UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for adults. The targets require that at least 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral treatment and 95 percent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.

However, Nyathi said challenges remain among children living with HIV, where efforts are continuing to improve early diagnosis, treatment uptake and viral suppression rates.

She added that treatment remains a powerful prevention tool because individuals who adhere to antiretroviral therapy and achieve viral suppression are significantly less likely to transmit the virus.

Nyathi urged the media to continue playing a vital role in disseminating accurate HIV and Aids information as Zimbabwe works towards its 2030 target.

Her remarks come against the backdrop of changing international funding arrangements. In February, Zimbabwe withdrew from negotiations on a proposed bilateral health memorandum of understanding with the United States that could have unlocked US$367 million over five years for programmes covering HIV and Aids, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and disease outbreak preparedness.

The United States government said the proposed agreement would have represented the largest potential health investment in Zimbabwe by any international partner and was designed around a co-funding model intended to promote sustainability and greater self-reliance.

According to US officials, the arrangement would have required Zimbabwe to progressively increase domestic health financing while benefiting from continued American support. The US government has provided more than US$1.9 billion in health assistance to Zimbabwe since 2006, contributing significantly to the country's achievement of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.

Despite the funding challenges, NAC maintains that Zimbabwe remains firmly on course to meet its 2030 goal through strengthened prevention efforts, expanded treatment coverage and increased reliance on domestic resources.