Zimbabwe News

Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe has reached a significant milestone in sustaining strong disease surveillance systems following the successful Integrated Polio and Measles Accreditation Review of the National Virology Laboratory, conducted according to WHO standards. This achievement highlights the country’s leadership in supporting regional and global health priorities, particularly in polio eradication and measles and rubella elimination.

Harare—At a busy maternity ward at Zvishavane district hospital, in Midlands Province in central Zimbabwe, a midwife records the details of a birth into a digital system, just minutes after the event.

Until recently, this information would have been written on paper, taking weeks or even months to reach decision-makers. Today, it is instantly available to health teams across Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe continues to take important steps towards strengthening its health system and ensuring that quality services reach all communities across the country. In late February 2026, a high-level delegation of the Ministry of Health and Child Care conducted a joint mission to several health facilities in Matabeleland South Province to better understand progress on the ground and identify opportunities for improvement.

Harare—Zimbabwe has taken a bold and historic step toward strengthening its health system with the creation of the National Public Health Institute (NPHI), aligned with global best practice and the African Union (AU) New Public Health Order. This science-driven, semi-autonomous institution is designed to enhance the country’s public health capacity and resilience.

Harare—“I was scared and terrified because I was still very young when I received the news. What else was going to save me if the medicines that are supposed to treat me are failing?” wonders Brandon Jaka, a 26-year-old pharmacist in Harare, in reminiscence.

Born with HIV, Jaka has lived his entire life relying on daily medication to suppress the virus. From an early age of 8 years, he learned to manage his condition through strict adherence to treatment and diet with guidance from his doctor and family.

Harare—Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to improve the prevention, early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers by integrating cancer and chronic disease services into primary health care. This approach aims to bring essential health services closer to communities and ensure women have equitable access to quality care.

Harare—As part of the ongoing efforts to combat Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), (commonly known as sleeping sickness) in Zimbabwe, World Health Organization hosted a three-day Laboratory Diagnosis and Surveillance Training. The training brought together a team of 20 laboratory personnel, clinicians, and field officers from areas at risk of HAT transmission. These includes staff working in safari camps and health facilities near endemic areas around Kariba Lake.

Harare—Zimbabwe marked a major milestone in child health with the launch of the National Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccination and Vitamin A Supplementation Campaign at Stoneridge Clinic in Harare.

Harare—World Health Organization (WHO)'s Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), through the Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN), conducted a joint technical mission to Zimbabwe from 7-11 July 2025.