ELLEN MLAMBO
CHIPINGE TIMES REPORTER
CHIPINGE – Manicaland province is having a challenge of HIV transmission from mother to child because mothers are not registering pregnancies at clinics in time, Minister for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza has said.
He said the transmission is highly preventable if women take up the available HIV prevention services.
Mugadza said this at the belated 2023 Provincial World Aids Day commemorations held at Gaza Stadium in Chipinge last month.
The commemorations were held under the theme “Let Communities Lead”.
“The province is having a challenge of HIV transmission from mother to child which is highly preventable if our women take up the available HIV prevention services. The majority of these infections are as a result of missed opportunities in enrolling pregnant women on the prevention of mother to child transmission,” he added.
Mugadza said the Ministry of Health and Child Care has adequate medicines to prevent transmission of HIV from the mother to the child.
He said communities have to take part in child protection thus ensuring that no child is unnecessarily exposed to and born with HIV by making sure that all pregnant women register early and deliver at health centres.
“Communities also need to address several cultural vulnerabilities that put women and children at increased risk of HIV infections. Our traditional and religious leadership are therefore being called upon to sensitise their communities and followers to address these vulnerabilities,” he said.
He said the province reduced the HIV prevalence from 22,86% in 1996 to 9,65% by 2022.
Another achievement worth celebrating is the epidemic control where-in the number of new HIV infections is lower than the number of deaths.
He said new infections are higher in women than men and life expectancy for people with HIV has increased.
Mugadza added that groups at the highest risk of HIV/AIDS are girls and young women between 10 to 24 because of intergenerational sex.