Zimbabwe's HIV progress faces a test among young people
New HIV infections in Zimbabwe have fallen sharply since 2010, but health workers warn that complacency among young people and funding disruptions could threaten the gains. Authorities and peer educators are trying new ways to bring prevention services closer to youth.
In Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe in southern Africa, health workers are concerned that some young people may underestimate the risk of HIV even though prevention options are broader than ever. The concern matters because decades of progress against the virus could be put at risk.
UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, estimates that annual new HIV infections in Zimbabwe fell from 79,000 in 2010 to 15,000 in 2023. Among people aged 15 to 24, the decline was from about 27,000 to 4,400.
Concern about attitudes among youth
Shaun Moyo, a 48-year-old nurse working shifts at two major public hospitals in Harare, recalls full wards and frequent funerals in the 1990s. Today, she says, some young people with access to condoms, antiretroviral drugs and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) do not grasp the consequences of infection. She notes that these are personal observations rather than scientific evidence.
Dr Misheck Ruwende, a family physician who campaigns against HIV stigma, warned in a September address on Twitter that the country risks losing some of its gains.
Dr Linda-Gail Bekker, a South African HIV physician-scientist and co-author of the PURPOSE 1 clinical trial report, argues that scientific advances must be matched by communication that resonates with young people. In the trial, lenacapavir, an HIV prevention injection given twice a year, was followed by no HIV infections among 2,134 women in the primary analysis. Bekker says fear-based messaging is not necessarily effective.
Funding and new approaches
UNAIDS reported in March 2025 that disruptions to US-funded HIV programmes in Zimbabwe had affected services for key populations, including PrEP, testing and counselling.
Angela Gutu, a 23-year-old peer educator in Harare, works with the city municipality, the health ministry, NGOs and churches to organise pop-up health services at markets, transport hubs, university campuses and sporting events. Young people can get HIV self-testing kits and condoms there, along with referrals for PrEP.
Dr Innocent Hove, Provincial Medical Officer for Harare Metropolitan Province, said in August that tackling HIV among young people is an urgent priority. The government is decentralising HIV, sexually transmitted infection and tuberculosis services, and mobile health trucks are reaching remote areas, including artisanal gold-mining sites.
