Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. AT last, some good news in the fight against HIV.
Bulawayo province has recorded a steep 44% decline in new HIV infections compared to 2020, according to the National Aids Council’s (NAC) 2025 HIV Estimate Report.
For Zimbabwe, a country too often defined by crises — cholera outbreaks, collapsing infrastructure, grinding poverty — this milestone deserves recognition.
It is proof that prevention strategies, treatment rollout and public awareness campaigns can change the trajectory of one of Zimbabwe’s longest-running health battles.
From 2020 to 2024, the number of people living with HIV in Bulawayo fell by more than 3 000.
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage has risen sharply — from 87,5% to an impressive 98,3%.
New infections dropped from 1 016 in 2020 to just 567 in 2024, affecting men and women equally.
These are not just numbers.
Behind them are lives saved, families preserved and futures secured.
But this success should not breed complacency.
Zimbabwe has been here before: celebrated gains can easily be undone if momentum falters.
Funding cuts, donor fatigue and economic instability threaten to reverse progress.
Already, the withdrawal of United States aid support for 2025 casts a long shadow over the sustainability of such achievements.
The NAC report is a reminder that while science and medicine play a central role, the fight against HIV is also about political will, social behaviour and consistent investment.
Prevention campaigns must not slow down.
Testing must remain widespread and stigma must continue to be dismantled.
More importantly, government must guarantee that ART supplies remain uninterrupted and affordable — even as foreign donors scale back.
A 44% decline in new infections is a victory, yes.
But the ultimate target remains: zero new infections, zero stigma, zero deaths.
To get there, Zimbabwe must lock in the gains by investing in local health systems, ensuring that progress does not depend entirely on donor goodwill.
Bulawayo’s success shows what is possible.
It is proof that progress is possible when prevention campaigns, treatment availability and community education align.
It shows that even in a resource-constrained environment, focused strategies can bend the curve of a decades-long epidemic.
The real test is whether it can be sustained — and whether the rest of the country can follow suit.
Hospitals across the country are short of drugs, equipment and staff.
Nurses and doctors continue to leave en masse, while those who stay are underpaid and demoralised.
Patients are often forced to bring their own bandages and painkillers to hospitals — a shameful reality for a country with Zimbabwe’s resources.
Yet, at the same time, millions of dollars are diverted to luxury cars for senior officials, endless foreign trips, and patronage projects.
The recent revelation that the Civil Registry Department wants to divert money from workers’ allowances to buy chefs’ cars is not an isolated scandal.
It is the rule. In Zimbabwe, leaders prioritise their comfort over citizens’ survival.
The danger now is that Zimbabwe’s HIV progress — so hard won — could be rolled back if donor exits are not matched by stronger domestic commitments.
The lesson is clear: aid can kick-start progress, but it cannot sustain it forever.
If Zimbabwe wants to secure long-term health gains, it must build a resilient, self-reliant health system.
That means ring-fencing health budgets, prioritising frontline services over bureaucratic luxuries, and investing in people — doctors, nurses, community health workers — not just buildings.
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