An overview of the HIV prevention landscape in Zimbabwe: Implications for tenofovir gel

Zimbabwe has seen a tremendous shift in the HIV landscape in the last decade, particularly regarding prevalence. Yet many people, especially women, are still at high risk and efforts to identify and implement additional HIV-prevention options remain critical. Topical microbicides are a promising new technology that women can control or initiate, with a number of products tested in clinical trials over the past two decades. As research moves forward, decision-makers and other stakeholders need key background information to inform strategic decision-making regarding introduction of tenofovir gel and other new HIV-prevention products. The Population Council has designed a toolkit to assist policymakers and program managers in identifying strategic opportunities for introducing tenofovir gel. This toolkit contains a landscape analysis, discussion guide, and program planning guide. To test the toolkit, a landscape analysis was undertaken in preparation for interviews with key opinion leaders in Zimbabwe. This landscape analysis describes the epidemiology of HIV in Zimbabwe; describes services related to HIV prevention and treatment; and provides an overview of the policy environment in Zimbabwe, including opportunities for new product introduction in the context of HIV prevention