A Hidden Crisis: Zimbabwean Chickens Fed Life-Saving ARVs Amidst Health Fears and Funding Cuts
Harare – A disturbing practice has emerged within Zimbabwe’s poultry industry, where some farmers are illegally incorporating antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) – vital medication for HIV patients – into chicken feed. This clandestine method, driven by a desire to boost growth and reduce disease, poses significant health risks to consumers and threatens to undermine the nation’s fight against HIV. The illicit trade in ARVs is further exacerbated by recent cuts in international health funding, creating a dangerous nexus between economic desperation and public health.
Investigations by the Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA AJP) have brought this alarming trend to light, revealing a widespread, albeit covert, practice. Farmers believe these drugs act as potent growth stimulants and disease preventatives, leading to quicker turnaround times for broiler chickens and, consequently, higher profits. However, this unlawful act carries severe implications for the unsuspecting public who consume the contaminated meat.
The Farmer’s Confession: A Glimpse into the Underground Practice
Jane, a broiler chicken farmer operating in Harare’s Waterfalls neighbourhood, offered a rare and candid admission, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the illegal nature of her activities. Her farm, discreetly nestled within a residential property, belies the scale of her operation. She openly confessed to mixing ARVs, procured illicitly from a health worker at a local hospital, into her chicken feed.
Jane described her procurement process, stating, “I get my monthly supply from the health official who has a network of peddlers who handle the business on his behalf.” She further elaborated on the clandestine nature of these transactions, explaining that drug peddlers often employ coded words or phrases that are frequently changed to evade detection. Her initial motivation was not to accelerate growth but to combat the devastating impact of diseases like Newcastle disease, which decimated her stock and threatened her livelihood. “Mortality was eating my profits,” she lamented, highlighting the economic pressures driving such desperate measures.
After receiving advice from a fellow farmer, Jane began incorporating TLD – a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine, and dolutegravir, a first-line HIV treatment in Zimbabwe – into her chickens’ feed and water. The results, she claimed, were dramatic: “The mortality rate plummeted, and my broiler chickens grew faster. I have since expanded my operation from 200 to 10,000 birds per cycle… And, instead of waiting six weeks, I could sell them (for slaughter) at just four weeks”. This rapid expansion underscores the perceived economic benefits that push farmers towards such illicit practices.
The Perilous Path: Health Risks and Regulatory Failures
The use of human-grade medicines in food-producing animals without proper authorisation is strictly prohibited under Zimbabwe’s Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act. Despite this, the practice persists, raising serious concerns about public health. Daniel Zulu, former head of the Toxicology and Clinical Department at the Government Analyst Laboratory in Zimbabwe, now a pharmacy business owner, unequivocally stated that feeding ARVs to broiler chickens is detrimental to human consumers.
Zulu warned that repeated exposure to antiretroviral drug residues could interfere with HIV treatment in positive individuals, potentially leading to reduced drug effectiveness and the development of drug resistance. With 1.3 million Zimbabweans living with HIV, and 1.2 million of those on ARVs, the implications are profound. Even those without HIV face potential long-term health effects, including toxicity, which remain largely unresearched.
An agricultural business advisory officer from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, who also requested anonymity, corroborated the widespread nature of this practice. He observed that chickens fed ARVs exhibit unusual characteristics, such as a reddish, abnormal colour and a bland taste, distinct from free-range poultry.
A Broader Threat: Antimicrobial Resistance and the Black Market
Brian Fungai Chikodze, a registrar for the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe, revealed that ARVs are often just one component in a dangerous cocktail of human medications mixed into chicken feed, frequently combined with other antimicrobial agents. This widespread misuse of antimicrobials in both humans and animals is a significant driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global public health crisis. AMR occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms evolve, rendering medicines ineffective and making infections harder to treat in both humans and animals.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted in February 2026 that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an escalating challenge in Zimbabwe’s poultry sector. The FAO noted that easy access to medicines through informal markets, limited laboratory testing facilities, and the misuse of antibiotics all contribute to the growing risk of antibiotic resistance in humans. Globally, AMR was directly responsible for over 1.2 million deaths in 2019, with young children being particularly vulnerable. The broiler production value chain in Zimbabwe has been identified by the FAO as a considerable user of antimicrobials, partly due to production practices and the demand for affordable poultry products.
This illicit trade in ARVs is further complicated by the precarious state of HIV programmes in Zimbabwe. Recent cuts in international aid funding, particularly from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), have severely impacted the availability and distribution of these life-saving drugs.
The Ripple Effect: Funding Cuts and Vulnerable Populations
The UNAIDS reported in March 2025 that while some USAID and CDC-supported organisations have resumed work, others remain paused. This disruption has affected critical services, including medicine distribution, patient management, and monitoring. Although stocks of ARV supplies and test kits are generally available at various levels, the distribution network has been impacted. More critically, HIV prevention services for key populations, such as sex workers and men who have sex with men, have been severely disrupted, affecting access to PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis), HIV testing, and counselling.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported a concerning rise in AIDS-related deaths in Zimbabwe, with 5,932 recorded from January to June 2025, an increase from 5,712 during the same period in 2024. Angela Jambo, an HIV-positive organiser, recounted how the withdrawal of USAID projects led to the disappearance of nutritional aid, food hampers, psychological support, and educational materials. Support groups, once a lifeline for many, have ceased operations, leaving vulnerable individuals, especially children, without crucial assistance.
Beloved Mhizha, a sex worker in Mbare, witnessed the collapse of networks that provided essential health services. He noted condom stock-outs and the unavailability of PrEP for new clients, stating, “Before the funding cuts, clinics were well-stocked with medication and supplies… Now, we are seeing condom stock-outs, something we have not been experiencing lately. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is no longer given to new clients. We seem to be going backwards”. Services that were once free have become inaccessible or prohibitively expensive, forcing individuals to travel long distances or pay for medication at private clinics.
Sithabile Garan’anga, a former PrEP champion and counsellor, expressed her distress at being unable to help those suffering due to the lack of funding and support. Natasha Ngwenyeni, a community volunteer, voiced fears that the impending closure of USAID operations in September would further exacerbate the situation, leading to key populations shying away from clinics due to fear of judgment.
MSF country representative Zahra Zeggani-Bec highlighted the far-reaching consequences of these cuts, stating, “We are seeing a total collapse in community-based and prevention programming, especially for key populations who are now entirely left behind.” She also raised concerns about the crippling effect on the logistical backbone of HIV care, with transport for distributing supplies vanishing and looming stock-outs of essential drugs, HIV test kits, and lab equipment.
The Urgent Need for Action
The confluence of illegal ARV use in poultry farming, the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, and the devastating impact of health funding cuts presents a complex and urgent public health crisis in Zimbabwe. The economic pressures on farmers, coupled with the availability of ARVs on the black market, create a dangerous cycle that jeopardises both food safety and the progress made in combating HIV.
Addressing this multifaceted problem requires a concerted effort from government, international organisations, and local communities. Stricter enforcement of regulations against the misuse of human medicines in animal agriculture, coupled with educational campaigns for farmers, are crucial. Simultaneously, sustained and adequate funding for HIV programmes is essential to ensure that life-saving ARVs reach those who need them most, thereby curbing the black market supply that fuels this dangerous practice.