BY Webster Mavhu — This year’s World Aids Day was unique in that 2020 is the milestone year for global targets. We also face the double effect of the dual pandemics of HIV and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Global 90-90-90 targets are that by December 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their …
BY Webster Mavhu — Covid-19 still threatens to wreak havoc across Africa with the World Health Organisation (WHO) projecting almost 200 000 deaths. But we must not ignore the threat from other diseases – now neglected – as we tackle this ongoing pandemic. The WHO has warned that deaths from malaria could double across sub-Saharan Africa this year, if prevention efforts are disrupted by Covid-19. Indeed, we are already witnessing a rise in malaria …
BY Webster Mavhu — The latest data from New York tells us that the novel coronavirus is killing men at twice the rate of women. Death rates are higher around the world, including China, France, Italy and South Korea. Reasons for the gender disparity are unknown, although possible explanations have begun to emerge. However, whatever the underlying cause turns …
BY Webster Mavhu — Women are the face of HIV in Africa, yet four of every 10 persons living with HIV in East and Southern Africa are men. Despite higher rates of HIV infection among women, more men living with HIV are dying. Men are often left behind by programs that aim to reduce HIV rates as …
Webster is a linguist-turned-social-scientist with a special focus on masculinity and healthcare access. His early passion was indigenous languages. While working as a translator for HIV researchers during the height of Zimbabwe’s HIV epidemic, Webster was moved by stories of loss. He pursued a self-funded PhD to train as a social scientist, and now focuses …