Ethiopia has a large and very vulnerable population, with an estimated 15 percent of the population living below the poverty line. HIV/AIDS is one of the key challenges for the overall development of Ethiopia, as it has led to a seven-year decrease in life expectancy and a greatly reduced workforce.
Ethiopia faces an epidemic among sub-populations and geographic areas, with an estimated overall HIV prevalence rate of 1.4 percent, based on testing a sample of 5,780 men and 5,300 women age 15 to 49 who gave informed consent. Within the individual regions, this testing found the prevailing rate varied from 0.2 in the SNNPR to a high of 6.0 percent in the Gambela Region. While previous estimations were higher, expansion of surveillance data and improved analyses resulted in significantly lower estimations for 2005. Based on the same survey, HIV prevalence has declined to about 3.2% to 4.7% percent in urban areas.
The primary mode of HIV transmission in Ethiopia is heterosexual contact. Young women are more vulnerable to infection than young men; urban women are three times as likely to be infected as urban men, although in rural areas the difference between genders is negligible. Populations at higher risk for HIV infection include people in prostitution, police officers and members of the military.
Reduced productivity, civil conflict, poor farming conditions, and recurrent droughts leave 10,000 to 150,000 people at risk of starvation each year. In the health sector, there is a shortage of health workers and counselors, in addition to poor access to sparse health services, inadequate, inefficient procurement systems, and weak monitoring and evaluation systems. Conflict, famine and drought have led to widespread population movements, adding to displacements caused by cross-border tensions. As of January 2007, there were an estimated 97,300 refugees in Ethiopia.
The number of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia has reached the one million mark, according to the Ministry of Health, placing an even greater strain on the country’s already limited and stretched social services. Ethiopia has the third largest population in the world with the HIV virus. Only India and South Africa have a greater number. The total number of people living with HIV is more than 1.3 -1.5 million
When we think about HIV globally many are working hardly but still it is not over as Bruce Sonnenberg He Intends Victory Founder and Executive Director says. We as the family and co-coworkers believe that the work only started but there is long way to go to stop HIV. As all we believe that Jesus is solution for HIV.
In this way let us work by helping each other to save many lives in Ethiopia especially orphans who lost one or two of their family because of HIV and widows
God Bless
Ayele Adore
He Intends Victory Ethiopia