On the 22nd November, Karlos Madziva and Tafadzwa Madanhire, presented at the 3rd National Aids Council (NAC) HIV Research Symposium. Karlos represented the ERASE-TB study which submitted 2 abstracts, one from the main study (ERASE-TB) and the another from the IMBA Hutano sub-study. The presentation was focused on HIV and chronic disease screening services among TB household contacts through the IMBA Hutano sub-study. The preliminary results showed the prevalence of TB, anaemia and hypertension to have been higher among people living with HIV as compared to those without and that the prevalence of diabetes was lower among people with HIV as compared to those without. The results also showed that 50% of individuals living with TB were screened positive for a mental health disorder.
Tafadzwa presented on the impact of HIV associated menopausal symptoms on quality of life among Zimbabwean women. The presentation essentially focused on findings that were gathered from the Menopause study. These findings were that mid-life women living with HIV were reported to have moderate to severe menopausal symptoms as compared to those living without and that HIV accelerated menopausal symptoms among mid-life women. There were other modifiable risk factors associated with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms such as food insecurity and alcohol consumption, and that menopausal symptoms negatively impacted perceptions of health.