HIV Prevalence Higher Among Women Than General Population in Ethiopia

HIV prevalence among women is higher than among the general population in Ethiopia, Health Minister Kebede Worku said Thursday at the annual conference of the Ethiopian Medical Association, SAPA/Mail & Guardian reports. According to the national surveillance report, 5% of women in the country are living with HIV, compared with 4.4% of the general population, Worku said. According to Worku, women are at an increased risk of contracting HIV because of their low socio-economic status, as well as biological factors. He added that of the 35,000 HIV-positive people receiving antiretroviral drugs from the government since January 2005, 46% are women and 4% are children. Government statistics estimate that about 1.6 million people in Ethiopia are living with HIV/AIDS, but some local and international nongovernmental organizations put the figure at about three million (SAPA/Mail & Guardian, 6/1).

Back to other news for June 2, 2006

Search the Newsroom archive