Link: https://mailchi.mp/state.gov/pepfar-zimbabwe-e-newsletter-december2022-1...
By Carey Spear, PEPFAR Country Coordinator
U.S. Embassy Harare
On January 28, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (#PEPFAR) during his State of the Union address. This new initiative, which he called “a work of mercy,” initially aimed to treat two million people living with HIV over five years. Since then, PEPFAR has grown significantly. It now represents the greatest commitment by any nation towards tackling a single disease.
Today, as we mark 20 years of PEPFAR, we are proud of the progress that has come from the U.S. government’s more than USD$2 billion investment in Zimbabwe’s HIV response. At the same time, we recommit ourselves to sustainably controlling the HIV epidemic and ending AIDS by 2030.
Globally, since the start of PEPFAR, new HIV infections have been reduced by 42% since their peak in 2004, while AIDS-related deaths have declined by 64% since their peak in 2004 – thanks in large part to PEPFAR and U.S. contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Today, we celebrate the millions of lives saved thanks to the initiative, including 1.28 million Zimbabweans currently receiving HIV treatment. More than three quarters of them (77 percent) have achieved viral load suppression, meaning they cannot sexually transmit the virus to their partners – a major milestone in bringing the infection under control. Mortality is a fraction of what it was before PEPFAR’s creation.
In Zimbabwe, the U.S. government has left imprints of success over the past year by providing:
- HIV testing and counseling for nearly 1.28 million people.
- Cervical cancer screening for more than 192,400 HIV-positive women.
- Viral load testing for more than 800,000 people living with HIV.
- Voluntary medical male circumcision for 134,794 men to reduce the risk of contracting and transmitting HIV.
- Tuberculosis (TB) Preventative Treatment for more than 653,400 people since the start of the program.
- Services for 423,574 orphans and vulnerable children and their families, including HIV prevention, care and treatment, education support and psychosocial services.
Armstrong Kamota (pictured above) is one example of PEPFAR’s ability to save lives. Armstrong comes from Nyabira and was born with HIV 17 years ago. Thanks to antiretroviral treatment and other services from PEPFAR, he now lives a fully healthy life – one of the many young people enjoying good health thanks to the program’s efforts. Furthermore, Armstrong has grown into a true role model who encourages others living with HIV to take care of themselves and seek health services.
There is still work to do. The last mile of the response will pose the greatest challenge. Persistent gaps remain. There are more than 22,000 new HIV infections in Zimbabwe every year. We are committed to closings those gaps by working with our partners to focus on vulnerable populations, including men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and transgender people.
The end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal. As President Biden declared on World AIDS Day 2022: "We finally have the scientific understanding, treatments, and tools to build an AIDS-free future where everyone – no matter who they are, where they come from, or whom they love - can get the care and respect they deserve."