Viral Suppression Boosts Bulawayo HIV Response

By Andile Vundla

Bulawayo has recorded strong progress in HIV treatment, with 96 percent of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) achieving viral suppression, a development that is helping to reduce new HIV infections and strengthen the province’s response to the epidemic.

Presenting the latest HIV situation update, National AIDS Council (NAC) Bulawayo Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Ms Primrose Dube said the province is performing well towards the global 95-95-95 HIV treatment targets.

She said estimates for 2024 show that 95 percent of people living with HIV in Bulawayo know their status, while 98 percent of those diagnosed are receiving ART. Of those on treatment, 96 percent have achieved viral suppression.

“Viral suppression remains critical because when a person’s viral load is undetectable, the risk of transmitting HIV to others is greatly reduced,” said Ms Dube.

The province has an estimated 76,608 people living with HIV, with women accounting for 60 percent and men 40 percent.

Bulawayo’s HIV prevalence stands at 10.7 percent, while HIV incidence among people aged 15 to 49 years is estimated at 0.1 percent, which is lower than the national estimate.

Ms Dube said the province has also recorded a 52 percent decline in HIV incidence since 2020, reflecting the impact of prevention, testing and treatment programmes.

Among adults, Bulawayo has exceeded some of the global treatment targets, with 99 percent of adults living with HIV aware of their status and a similar proportion receiving treatment. Viral suppression among adults stands at 96 percent.

Women continue to record better treatment outcomes than men. According to NAC data, all women living with HIV in the province are estimated to know their status and are on treatment, while viral suppression among women stands at 97 percent.

For men, status awareness and treatment coverage are both estimated at 98 percent, with viral suppression standing at 96 percent.

Despite the gains, gaps remain among children aged between zero and 14 years.

Ms Dube said only 91 percent of children living with HIV know their status, while 90 percent of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression.

She said more efforts are needed to support children and caregivers to improve treatment adherence and close existing gaps.

Bulawayo currently has more than 80,000 people receiving ART, with 94 percent on first-line treatment, 5.6 percent on second-line treatment and 0.4 percent on third-line treatment.

The province also continues to record lower HIV incidence rates than most provinces in the country, with Matabeleland South being the highest in the country with the highest overall incidence rate at 2.40 per 1,000 people.

Matabeleland North has the second-highest transmission activity with an incidence rate of 2.18 per 1,000 people.

Harare and Mashonaland Central display the lowest active transmission rates, with incidence figures dropping below 1.15 per 1,000 people, indicating that prevention campaigns and viral suppression strategies are yielding stronger transmission, blocking results in the northern regions.

However, adolescent girls and young women remain at higher risk of contracting HIV compared to their male counterparts, highlighting the need for targeted prevention programmes.

Ms Dube said sustaining high viral suppression levels, improving treatment outcomes among children and increasing access to prevention services remain among the province’s key priorities.

She said continued investment in testing, treatment and prevention programmes will be critical in maintaining progress and reducing new HIV infections as the country aims to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.