Drug resistant STIs hit Masvingo 

Source: Drug resistant STIs hit Masvingo – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 25, 2017

MASVINGO province has been hit by drug-resistant sexually transmitted infections (STIs) suspected to be finding their way into the country from South Africa with 3 836 such cases being recorded between January and June this year alone.

Masvingo has the highest number of such cases and it is believed that it is feeding into other provinces, including Harare, with the drug-resistant strains.

The STIs are not responding to medication and this has seen an upsurge in cases in Masvingo with 41 912 being recorded in 2012, according to a National Aids Council (Nac) report.

The health sector has launched an investigation into the new problem.

As a result of the drug-resistant situation, Masvingo had the highest number of repeated STI at 5 552 last year.
Isaac Taramuse, Nac’s monitoring and evaluation co-ordinator, said Masvingo had become a source of such drug-resistant STIs for provinces like Harare, Mashonaland East and Midlands.

“We have noticed some drug-resistant STIs like syphilis, gonorrhoea and discharges from around 2010 in Masvingo. These drug-resistant sexually transmitted infections increased and gradually spread to other places like Harare, Mashonaland East and Midlands.
“We believe that Masvingo has become a source of these diseases for other provinces. Investigations have been launched to understand these new strains and there is every reason to believe that they are coming into Masvingo from South Africa through migrant and transitional labour. From Masvingo, the STIs are being exported to other provinces,” Taramuse said.

The report indicates that although Masvingo has a smaller population than a number of other provinces, it recorded the second highest STIs after Harare with just about 3 000 behind Harare, which stood at 45 699 cases last year.

Zimbabwe recorded 261 032 cases last year and of those 157 965 were women.

So far this year, Masvingo has registered 8 900 new STI cases in the first quarter and 10 981 in the second quarter.

— Online