The Manicaland Study is a population-based, open cohort survey investigating the dynamics of HIV transmission and its impact in 12 sites, representing 4 different socio-economic strata in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland province. Since 1998, we have collected four rounds of data from adults (15-54 years). A fifth round will be completed in July 2011 and we plan to continue and expand this study, for at least one more rounds, in the context of scale-up of routine Government prevention and treatment services.

Each round of the survey comprises a census of all households in the 12 study sites, followed by interviews (including HIV testing) with individual household members, verbal autopsy interviews with caregivers of past participants who have died since the previous round, and interviews with and collection of dried blood spot samples for HIV testing from women attending for antenatal check-ups at local health clinics.  Due to the dispersed nature of the study communities and to safeguard data quality, study communities are enumerated on a phased basis and each round of the survey takes 21-24 months to complete. 

Information is collected on migration, socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, mortality and fertility, children’s orphan status, sexual behavior (including patterns of community- and individual-level psychosocial determinants of sexual behavior), knowledge and awareness about HIV and levels of access, uptake and adherence to HIV/AIDS treatment and other services.

Selected puliblications
Halperin DT, Mugurungi O, Hallett TB, Muchini B, Campbell B, Magure T, Gregson S. A surprising prevention success: Why did the HIV epidemic decline in Zimbabwe? Public Library of Science Medicine. 2011: 8(2): e1000414 | free access 

Gregson S, Garnett GP, Nyamukapa CA, Hallett TB, Lewis JJC, Mason PR, Chandiwana SK, Anderson RM. HIV decline associated with behaviour change in eastern Zimbabwe. Science 2006; 311 (3 February 2006): 664-666. | free access

Gregson S, Nyamukapa CA, Lopman B, Mushati P, Garnett GP, Chandiwana SK, Anderson RM. Critique of early models of the demographic impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa based on contemporary empirical data from Zimbabwe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2007; 104(37) 14586-14591 | free access

- Simon Gregson
- Constance Nyamakupa