Prominance Sinomusa Khumalo | Zim GBC News<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BULAWAYO \u2013 Health authorities in Bulawayo have raised an alarm over a sharp rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), warning that the trend threatens to reverse years of progress in HIV prevention across Zimbabwe\u2019s second-largest City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing journalists after the NAC Media tour on the city\u2019s latest epidemiological data, a senior official from the National AIDS Council (NAC) revealed that new STI cases have climbed steadily through 2025, accompanied by a stubbornly high rate of repeat infections\u2014a clear sign, experts say, of persistent high-risk sexual behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing is deeply concerning,\u201d said the NAC\u2019s Bulawayo Programmes Coordinator, Douglas Moyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSTIs are not just a health issue on their own\u2014they are a direct gateway for HIV transmission. When someone has an STI, it breaks down mucosal barriers, making it significantly easier for HIV to enter the body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkala stressed that infections such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia act as clear markers of unprotected sex, similar to unplanned pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf someone walks into a clinic with an STI, it is evidence of condomless sex. Just like a pregnancy confirms unprotected intercourse, these infections confirm exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data from the first three quarters of 2025 paints a troubling picture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 First Quarter: 2,194 new STI cases recorded.
\u00b7 Second Quarter: A decline to about 1,400 cases, though officials suspect possible data inconsistencies.
\u00b7 Third Quarter: A sharp rebound to 2,539 new infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you plot these numbers, the trend is clearly upward,\u201d Moyo explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe brief dip in Q2 does not reflect sustained progress. We are moving in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Equally alarming is the rate of repeat STI cases, which remained high throughout the reporting period\u2014with 766, 545, and 644 cases recorded in males across the first three quarters, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepeat infections tell us that behaviour change is not happening,\u201d Moyo noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are getting treated secretly, returning to untreated partners, and getting re-infected. This cycle shows low risk perception and poor partner communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All patients diagnosed with an STI are routinely tested for HIV. Positivity rates have held steady at around 4\u20135%, indicating that HIV remains a live threat within sexually active networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome ask if HIV is still a danger,\u201d Nkala said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis data confirms it is. A 5% positivity rate among STI patients is a red flag that the virus is circulating actively in these networks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Health officials emphasise that breaking the cycle requires robust partner notification and contact tracing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not enough to treat one person,\u201d Nkala added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must trace and treat entire sexual networks to prevent reinfection and curb HIV spread.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With fourth-quarter data still under review, health authorities are calling for intensified public awareness, condom distribution, and STI screening campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot afford complacency,\u201d Moyo warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery new STI case represents a potential HIV infection waiting to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective\u00a9\ufe0f2025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prominance Sinomusa Khumalo | Zim GBC News BULAWAYO \u2013 Health authorities in Bulawayo have raised an alarm over a sharp rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), warning that the trend… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11519"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11521,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11519\/revisions\/11521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}