Zim ready to host ICASA, with measures put in place to identify and treat cholera cases

Gibson Mhaka

ZIMBABWE is prepared to hold the six-day 22nd International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Harare starting December 4, with all necessary measures being put in place to identify and treat cholera cases to ensure the current outbreak is under control, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has said.

Dr Mombeshora, who was represented by Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze, at the first curtain raiser press conference ahead of the ICASA conference on Monday said the holding of the conference was not going to be affected because the country’s surveillance system was highly effective and they had identified and treated all cholera cases.

“Zimbabwe will be hosting 22^nd ICASA in Harare. Its programme is now ready and all government systems and structures, from security, banking, accommodation, transport, and health among others, have been mobilised to provide the necessary support before and during the conference.

“All locals and visitors have full access to healthcare services. You may have read that recently there was an outbreak of cholera in some parts of Zimbabwe. I wish to assure you all and our visitors that this isolated outbreak has been contained and our surveillance system is exceptionally effective and has picked all cases and they have been treated.

“Zimbabwe is praised internationally for its homegrown domestic funding initiative National Aids Trust Fund, and this will be one of the best practice examples to be shared at the high level meeting of ministers of finance to precede 22^nd ICASA,” said Minister Mombeshora.

Zimbabwe has been recording cases of cholera in rural areas and more recently in some urban areas.

ICASA 2023 president Dr David Parirenyatwa who is also president of Society for Aids in Africa (SAA) said Zimbabwe was fully ready to receive over 8000 participants from across Africa who will be coming to attend the conference.

“Zimbabwe is fully ready to receive over 8000 participants from across Africa who will be coming to attend this meeting here in Harare.  We are very clear in our minds that the fight against Aids must continue as our theme of 22^nd ICASA says, ‘Aids is not over’,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.

He said complacency was setting in the fight against Aids, with some people saying, ‘We’ve done enough’.

“There has been an apparent complacency in the fight against Aids, as some people are now saying ‘we have done enough for Aids’, so, we need to remind ourselves that there are still infections that are happening especially among the youth.

“Therefore, we must continue to address Aids so that Zimbabwe and the region of Africa is on track to end Aids by 2030 as per the commitments enshrined in the SDGs,” he said.