HARARE - Harare has the highest population of people living with HIV, a top National Aids Council (Nac) official has said.

Amon Mpofu, Nac monitoring and evaluation director said the organisation realised that the reduction in prevalence rates between 2006- 2011 was very high in Harare, meaning more people were dying.

“The population of Harare is quite high and obviously in terms of numbers you expect more people to be infected but when you look at the percentage of prevalence, it was discovered that it is not comparable because percentage is different from absolute figures,” said Mpofu.

“What we are seeing is that Harare, like any other place, we are seeing new infections and risky behaviour.

“We need to scale up treatment. We need to look at these results and have resources to cater for this population.”

He said more men were dying compared to women.

“There are more females infected with HIV and yet more men are dying of the virus.

“This is because men are seeking health services when the disease has developed to an advanced stage,” Mpofu said.

He said there is a need to mobilise men in the work places, to encourage them to seek medical help and get treated early.

Mpofu recommend decentralisation of health facilities and scaling up treatments to cater for the rest of the population.