The Bulawayo City Council in Zimbabwe has strongly refuted recent media reports claiming a staggering 90% HIV positivity rate among women aged 16 to 50 in the city.
The reports, which also cited a 71.7% overall positivity rate for women, sparked widespread public alarm.
Acting Town Clerk, Dr. E. Mzingwane, clarified that these figures were grossly misrepresented and taken out of context. “The articles sensationalized the data, leading to unnecessary panic,” he said.
The controversial statistics originated from data collected during the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid and Camera (VIAC) program. This program specifically targets HIV-positive women aged 30 to 50 for cervical cancer screening. Dr. Mzingwane emphasized that women living with HIV are at a significantly higher risk of developing cervical cancer – six times more likely, according to World Health Organization data.
The primary goal of the VIAC program is early detection and treatment of cervical cancer, not a general HIV prevalence assessment. While acknowledging the program’s importance in the city’s healthcare services, Dr. Mzingwane stressed that it does not reflect the HIV positivity rates within the broader population.
Dr. Mzingwane expressed concern over the irresponsible reporting, emphasizing the media’s crucial role in public health information dissemination. “The media plays a key role in disseminating health information, and there is a need to ensure that accurate reports are issued as they affect the knowledge and health beliefs of the public,” he stated.
To provide context, Dr. Mzingwane pointed out that the national HIV prevalence rate for the 15-49 age group is 10.49%, with Bulawayo’s rate slightly higher at 11.75%. These figures are considerably lower than those falsely reported.
