HIV/AIDS

It is now more than two decades since the HIV/AIDS epidemic started in Ethiopia. The country joined other UN member states at the UN General Assembly to approve resolution 60/262, popularly known as the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. The declaration includes a commitment by UN Member States to move towards the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2010 and to work with partners at country level to overcome barriers that block access to prevention, care and treatment.


In response to this commitment, Ethiopia has provided leadership for the development of a Multi-sectoral Plan of Action for Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support. Furthermore, in 1998 the Government issued a policy on HIV/AIDS and established a National AIDS Council, National AIDS Secretariat and other relevant bodies.


As far as the status of the epidemic is concerned, a careful assessment of data gathered over the last four years suggest that:

  • the epidemic in Ethiopia has stabilized with HIV prevalence estimated at 2.2% in 2003/04 and 2.1 in 2006/07 and 2007/08;
  • the urban and rural prevalence rates are estimated at 7.7% and 0.9% respectively;
  • the rural epidemic appears to be relatively widespread but heterogeneous;
  • gender wise, the prevalence rates in 2007/08 is 1.7% for males and 2.6% for females.
  • recent studies suggest that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is stabilizing in urban areas and increasing gradually in rural areas.

The priority intervention areas in the country in relation to HIV/AIDS to date were Information, Education and Communication/Behavioral Change Communication (IEC/BCC), condom promotion and distribution, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), management of sexually transmitted diseases, blood safety, infection prevention/universal precaution, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), management of opportunistic infections, care and support to the infected and affected, legislation and human rights and surveillance and research.


Achievements

  • Health workers in testing, counseling and treatment with ART were and will continue to be trained.
  • Substantial improvements have been made in the distribution of condoms and voluntary and premarital HIV-testing by different social groups. Approximately, 66 million condoms were distributed in 2004, which is a 12-fold increase compared to the previous year.
  • A number of guidelines, manuals and other relevant documents have been prepared on counseling, case management, home-based care and other areas.
  • The policy on Supply and Use of Anti-Retroviral Drugs has been implemented within the framework of the existing HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Policy and Strategy.
  • Intensive and continuous advocacy has been conducted leading to the involvement of more and more NGOs, UN and bilateral organizations, CBOs and community at large in the prevention and control of the disease.
  • A document of Social Mobilization and HIV/AIDS and a Five-Year Multisectoral Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS have also been developed and endorsed.
  • Information, Education and Communication activities have been undertaken to bring about the desired behavioral changes by raising the level of awareness in general and youth in particular.
  • A number of laboratories capable of conducting tests for HIV/AIDS have also been established throughout the country.

 

The success can be attributed to the strong leadership and coordination, availability of funds, innovative initiatives such as the Millennium Anti-AIDS campaign, and strong technical support received from partner organizations. Also the synchronized effort between the health sector and the non-health sector responses has had significant positive impact.