The Herald (Harare)

Zimbabwe: World Aids Conference a Resounding Success

16 August 2012

The XIX World Aids conference, which ran in Washington DC from July 22 to 27, was a resounding success for Zimbabwe. Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe led the Zimbabwe delegation to the conference.

The premier gathering which brought those working in the field of HIV, policy makers, scientists, reseachers, the media and people living with HIV assessed Zimbabwe's response, the challenges in funding gaps and the way forward.

Zimbabwe was cited in a number of sessions as a success story. Most countries rely on donor funds and the national Aids Levy drew interest from countries enquiring of the noble initiative at country level.

Zimbabwe through the National Aids Council and its partners acknowledged the success of male circumcision that saw parliamentarians taking the initiative to lead by example sometime in June in Harare.

Due to the publicity created by the MPs' circumcision programme Zimbabwe was assured of an additional US$6 million to support the programme through the PSI.

USAID and DFID pledged to have 60 000 new patients put on anti-retroviral treatment.

NAC chief executive officer Dr Tapiwa Magure was pleased that the conference was fruitful as the prevention of mother to child programme also got a boost.

"The Elisabeth Glaser Foundation managed to secure additional funding for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV in the country. This will make the zero new vertical transmission a possibility by 2015 and is commendable," said Dr Magure.

Dr Magure said the country also got support from UNITAID which pledged to support the Zimbabwe TB programme.

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  • Hugh7
    Aug 16 2012, 19:56
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    Yet in Zimbabwe, 14% of circumcised men have HIV, but "only" 12% of non-circumcised men. That was measured after the circumcision campaign began, but the ratio was the same four years earlier, before it began. So what do you mean by "success"?

  • Human Rights Abuse
    Aug 24 2012, 12:44
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    If Thokozani Khupe thinks that the XIX World Aids Conference (which claimed that male circumcision will reduce the sexual transmission of HIV), was a resounding success for Zimbabwe, then he is seriously uneducated and misinformed. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december112011/circumcision-hiv-rg.php http://www.circumcision.org/hiv.htm Several letters have been published online in Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/1/e175.abstract/reply#ped iatrics_el_54036