HARARE – In March, 27-year-old Jemitius Gangata succumbed to malaria in Mahombokombe village in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West Province, becoming part of the country’s growing malaria statistics. By mid-April, the country had recorded over 65,000 malaria cases and 174 deaths, almost double the numbers from the same period last year, when 36,000 cases and 85 deaths […] Continue reading ->
HARARE, Zimbabwe – For the past two decades, 49-year-old Renious Gumbi from Mberengwa in Zimbabwe lived in South Africa, where he worked as a bricklayer. Gumbi, who was living with HIV, received free antiretroviral (ARV) treatment from his local clinic in South Africa as, according to that country’s Constitution, “everyone has the right to have […] Continue reading ->
As Donald Trump’s US presidency reaches its 100th day, Zimbabweans living with HIV are fearful about their futures as they struggle to get antiretroviral medication. MWENEZI, Zimbabwe – Memory Sibanda tried three times to get antiretroviral medication from her usual clinic in February but was turned away. The 67-year-old has lived with HIV for the […] Continue reading ->
HARARE, Zimbabwe – After a decade of service as a nurse in the public sector and very little to show for her years of toil, Letina Chiwongotore has thrown in the towel. The 35-year-old is packing her bags for the UK, no longer able to bear mounting economic hardships. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare […] Continue reading ->
Like most African countries, non-communicable (NCDs) diseases, including diabetes, is increasing in Zimbabwe. And children are increasingly among the cases that go undetected or treatment until severe symptoms emerge. HARARE, Zimbabwe – Ten-year-old Tadisa Sayi already contends with diabetes and when his blood sugar levels spike his mother, Naume Shereketo, endures the mood swings induced […] Continue reading ->
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Michelle and Michael Mutsvaki were infected with HIV at birth, but while their parents have shunned antiretroviral (ARV) medicine to treat their HIV, the siblings opted for treatment in their teens. The siblings, now aged 22 and 24, learnt about their HIV status from their mother, but she assured them that their […] Continue reading ->
HARARE, Zimbabwe – The maize meal porridge that their mother had previously blended with peanut butter and sugar for them is now a thing of the past for scrawny 13-year-old Nesbit Chigariro and his three siblings. The family barely has enough food for a single meal a day, as the El Nino-induced drought sweeping southern […] Continue reading ->