H-Metro Reporter
GOROMONZI district continues to top the list for STIs for the THIRD time in a row after over 1 900 cases were recorded in the first quarter of this year.
Mashonaland East, which has a prevalence rate of 10,38%, has 136 962 people living with HIV and AIDS, with ART coverage standing at 99%.
However, there has been an increase in STI cases from just over 5 800, in the last quarter, of 2023 to more than 7 200 this year.
This came out at a NAC breakfast meeting held in Marondera where it was revealed that Mashonaland East province recorded a 30% increase in STIs this year.
NAC Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mercy Muguti, said the increase was worrisome.
“It is worrisome that Goromonzi has recorded such an increase with the cases having repeated which is not good for our interventions,” she said.
“We are doing all we can to make sure our intervention goes to all areas as we seek to reach all corners in our interventions.”
Mashonaland East Provincial Medical Director, Dr Paul Matsvimbo, said they will visit Goromonzi to find out what exactly is happening there, describing the statistics as “very disturbing”.
Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Aplonia Munzverengwi, said there is a need for more HIV and AIDS intervention programmes as the pandemic is not yet over.
“Such statistics as presented here show that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is still a threat to our public health systems and need to be taken seriously,” she said.