HARARE - Zimbabwe is scaling-up HIV treatment, with all infected sex workers, discordant couples and pregnant women set to be initiated on antiretroviral (ART) treatment regardless of their CD4 count.

Speaking during a National Aids Council (Nac) workshop in Chinhoyi, Aids and TB Unit director in the Health ministry Owen Mugurungi said this was in line with new World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines to be published midyear.

Mugurungi said many countries felt that the proposal (in the new guidelines) to put minimum CD4 count at 500 has an unbearable cost implication beyond the reach of many governments.

“So we have agreed that if you are pregnant and have a CD4 count above 350, we put you on ARVs,” Mugurungi said.

“Discordant couples and sex workers independent of their CD4 counts, we will also put on drugs because we believe that prevention is better than cure.”

Mugurungi said the initiative will aid the country’s efforts in reducing new HIV prevalence and mother-to-child transmission.

According to WHO, countries should get to zero new infections, mother-to-child transmissions and Aids-related deaths by 2015.

However, for years now Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government has struggled with availing universal access of ARVs resulting in about half of the 1, 2 million infected people without treatment.

According to latest ministry statistics, about 107 000 children and 595 000 people are in urgent need of ART. Out of those around 46 000 children and 500 000 adults are accessing the service.

Most of the funds currently being used to procure drugs for initiated population are coming from development partners.

Egpaf technical director Batsirai Makunike Chikwinya said the benefits of enrolling surpass the cost hence partners should be weary of defaulting.

“Though they are challenges, we are more concerned about the good outcome. There are a lot of unknowns now, take for instance a woman coming to a health facility because she is pregnant but may not like to be kept on ART because she feels she is not sick.”

Chikwinya said Malawi and Rwanda have already availed universal access for the cluster.

However, earlier initiations means more people in urgent need of treatment.

Statistics from the number in urgent need of ART increased from 343 000 in 2010 to 593,000 in 2011. With the new guidelines the figures are set to rise again.

The cost of treating people living with HIV currently stands at an estimated $150 million a year but only $33 million is expected to be collected in Aids Levies. - Wendy Muperi