Poverty, Malnutrition Hinder Zimbabwe's AIDS Battle

A three-day conference on fighting AIDS in Zimbabwe, which opened in Harare Tuesday, heard that poverty and malnutrition are undermining the nation's efforts against the epidemic. Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are too expensive in a country where three-quarters of the nation's population live in poverty, said doctors studying the issue. An estimated 1.8 million Zimbabweans live with HIV/AIDS.

"The issue of poverty ... is one of the factors limiting the access to ARVs," Phineas Makurira said at the nation's first HIV/AIDS conference. "It is estimated that about 5,000 patients are currently on ARVs in Zimbabwe, although this might be an underestimate," said Health Ministry AIDS expert Christine Chakanyuka.

However, Health Ministry official Panganayi Dhliwayo told a press conference that contrary to what has been said about the high cost of drugs, many families in Zimbabwe can now afford them. "At 150,000 dollars (US$28) a month you don't even need free treatment," he said. "People are not even aware that the cost of ARVs has come down so much," he said, referring to the price charged by local generic-drug producers.

"Malnutrition affects 90 percent of HIV/AIDS patients," according to recent studies, said nutritionist Percy Chipepera, and "it is also responsible for 60 to 80 percent of AIDS deaths." Zimbabwe has experienced severe food shortages due to drought and chaotic land reforms. In addition, farm workers sick with HIV-related illnesses are becoming less productive.

Saying that "we are limited by resources," Chakanyuka hinted that President Robert Mugabe's administration might be unable to deliver on its pledge to offer free ARVs to some 171,000 people by next year's end.

Despite the estimated 166,000 new HIV cases registered last year cited by Chakanyuka, the infection rate has stabilized and is beginning to decline, proof that Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDS efforts are bearing fruit, said Dhliwayo.

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