Aids drug supplies critically low in Zimbabwe

Aids drugs shortage hits Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is running out of anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV/Aids as a foreign currency shortage hobbles government efforts to provide 20 000 people with the life-saving medicine. The state-run Herald newspaper quoted Charles Maramba, the acting director of Zimbabwe's National Pharmaceutical Company, as saying his firm was struggling to find funds to buy anti-retrovirals (ARVs) for people with AIDS.

Experts say the disease kills an average of 3 000 Zimbabweans every week. Mwaramba told a visiting group of parliamentarians that the country has less than a month's supply of the vital drugs.

The health sector is among those hardest hit by Zimbabwe's severe economic crisis, which has brought shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency along with water and power cuts and an inflation rate of almost 1 000%.

Reduced prevalence in past five years
The government estimates that 1.61 million people are infected with the virus out of a total population of 12 million people. But in a rare bit of good news the adult HIV prevalence has fallen to around 20% from 25% five years ago, apparently due to increased condom use and people having fewer sexual partners.

Mwaramba said his company, which serves as Zimbabwe's main drugs repository, had been allocated just $106 000 for ARVs by the central Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe between January and March instead of the $7.4 million it required.

He said funding Zimbabwe had applied for to extend the state ARV programme to another 25 000 people would not be available until January next year. - Reuters