KEY POINTS
- Zimbabwe is on track to achieve less than 5 percent mother-to-child HIV transmission.
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) helps prevent transmission in at-risk women.
- Zimbabwe has surpassed UNAIDS 2025 targets with significant HIV progress.
Zimbabwe has made significant progress toward eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and syphilis, according to the National AIDS Council (NAC).
Eliminating mother-to-child transmission
In a recent briefing on the First 100-Day Cycle of 2025, NAC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Benard Madzima highlighted the country’s efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission rates, which have now dropped from 11 percent to around 7 percent.
Dr. Madzima shared the achievements of Zimbabwe’s triple elimination strategy, which aims to bring mother-to-child transmission rates below 5 percent.
This initiative has trained health workers in every district, improving the country’s ability to manage HIV and related diseases. Zimbabwe’s progress has gained international recognition as the nation works to meet the target of less than 5 percent transmission.
“Our target is to reach 5 percent or lower for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission,” Dr. Madzima said. “We have moved from around 11 percent to about 7 percent, and we are proud of the work that has been done so far.
This is a global effort, and Zimbabwe has been noted for its accomplishments.”
Focus on high-risk pregnant women with pre-exposure prophylaxis
One of the key components of Zimbabwe’s program is addressing the risks posed to women who are HIV-negative during pregnancy but may seroconvert during breastfeeding.
According to ZBC News, the government now provides pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to these women, helping them prevent transmission of the virus to their infants.
This proactive approach aims to reduce transmission in cases where the mother’s status changes during the breastfeeding period.
“We now focus on assessing women who might initially test negative during pregnancy but become positive while breastfeeding,” Dr. Madzima said.
“This helps us prevent transmission from mother to child during this vulnerable time.”
Zimbabwe surpasses UNAIDS 2025 targets
In addition to progress in eliminating the transmission, Zimbabwe has surpassed the UNAIDS 2025 targets of 95-95-95.
According to Dr. Madzima, 97 percent of Zimbabwe’s adult population has been tested for HIV, with 96 percent of those tested now receiving effective ARV treatment.
Furthermore, 95 percent of those on treatment have a suppressed viral load, a major milestone in the fight against HIV.
NAC was recently recognized as a top-performing public entity for exceeding UNAIDS targets and successfully implementing the Triple Elimination Strategy.
These efforts were acknowledged at the 2024 Performance Contracts Evaluation Results and Awards Ceremony.
