Bindura(Nehanda Guardian-New Ziana)-Zimbabwe on Thursday began a population based HIV impact assessment on about 13 000 randomly selected families across the country.

The assessment is running under the banner “Zimbabwe Population based HIV Impact Assessment – ZIM PHIA” and is being conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care supported by the National AIDS Council, ZIMSTAT and the International Center for AIDS care and treatment program (ICAP) at Columbia University with financial support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

ZIMPHIA will weigh and evaluate the impact of the epidemic in the country as well as the accessibility of treatment to people living with the infection.

The same survey would also be conducted in Eswathini, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Mozambique after Zimbabwe.

Locally, the door to door assessment will reach out to an estimated 22 886 individuals from the 12 460 randomly selected households across the country.

Adolescents and adults between the ages of 15 to 65 years will participate in the survey.

Addressing senior government and civil society organisations heads at a provincial sensitization meeting for the programme in Bindura, Mashonaland Central province, National AIDS Council acting chief executive officer Amon Mpofu said generally everything was in order in Zimbabwe.

“We have enough ARVs for those already on ART and those who might be prescribed.

“However, the assessment remains imperative to us and the region at large in the sense that it will help the global response to treatment and care needs,” he said.

ZIMPHIA will also help policy makers in programming and sourcing funding.

New Ziana