By Andrew Zhou
MASVINGO – Masvingo Province has recorded a notable decline in the number of people living with HIV over the past four years, according to recently released data from the National AIDS Council (NAC) Monitoring and Evaluation office.
The figures reflect substantial progress in the province’s HIV response, though officials emphasize the need for continued focus on vulnerable populations.
During a recent data presentation, NAC’s Masvingo Provincial Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Munorwei Munyikwa, highlighted that the positive trend reflects the success of collaborative efforts between NAC, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and other HIV/AIDS partners. He cautioned, however, against complacency.
“The reductions we are observing demonstrate that our combined interventions such as prevention of mother-to-child transmission, antiretroviral therapy scale-up, and behavior change programmes are yielding results. Still, the disproportionate burden on women, especially young women, calls for intensified and targeted efforts,” Munyikwa stated.
He noted that with the decline recorded across all age groups, the province was moving closer to achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which aim to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% are on treatment, and 95% achieve viral suppression.
“We have already reached the 95-95-95 goals, and our new target is 97% so that by 2030, we see few to no new infections in the province,” Munyikwa added.
The data reveals that in 2020, a total of 147,729 people of all ages were living with HIV in Masvingo. By 2024, this number had dropped to 140,419—a reduction of 7,310 individuals. NAC attributes the decline to improved access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), widespread community awareness programs, and effective prevention strategies.
Despite this progress, a gender breakdown reveals persistent disparities. In 2024, 84,998 females were living with HIV, compared to 55,421 males, underscoring the continued feminization of the epidemic.
Adults aged 15 and above remain the most affected group, with 132,328 people living with HIV in 2024, down from 134,615 in 2020. Among them, women continue to represent the larger share, with 80,973 females affected compared to 51,355 males.
Encouragingly, the most productive age group (15–49 years) showed a significant decline, falling from 104,477 in 2020 to 93,416 in 2024. Analysts note that this trend indicates reduced new infections among the working-age population—a crucial factor for sustaining community livelihoods.
Declines were also observed among young people and adolescents. The number of youths (15–24 years) living with HIV dropped from 14,092 in 2020 to 12,938 in 2024, while the figures for adolescents (10–19 years) decreased from 12,670 to 10,284 during the same period.
Significant progress has also been made among children. In 2020, 13,115 children (0–14 years) were living with HIV, but by 2024, the number had fallen to 8,091—a reduction of 5,024. The most dramatic decline was observed among infants (0–4 years), where cases nearly halved, dropping from 2,531 in 2020 to 1,357 in 2024.
Despite these gains, health experts stress that barriers such as stigma, gender inequality, and limited access to health services in rural areas continue to hinder further progress.
Moving forward, the NAC plans to strengthen community testing, support treatment adherence, and expand youth-focused prevention campaigns to ensure the downward trend in HIV prevalence continues.
