Abstract:
Design/Methods: A team of local and international experts searched published and grey literature
on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. They reviewed the Ethiopian, East African and international literature,
surveillance and research papers, and consulted with national and international experts. In addition
to many years of antenatal clinic surveillance data, two Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
and two Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS) were available, as well as other studies. No new
data were gathered, but new primary analysis was done on data from both the 2005 DHS and BSS.
Results: The study uncovered a number of major findings which have implications for policy and
practice in the country, including: the epidemic may be less severe, less generalized and more
heterogeneous than previously believed, with marked regional variations; the diversity of the HIV
epidemic seems to be related to sexual behavior patterns; small towns may be HIV hot-spots that
have had marginal attention in HIV prevention efforts to date; traditional high-risk groups such as
sex workers seem to be reducing some of their risky behaviors. Young populations, especially
never-married sexually active females have the greatest risk of HIV infection in the country;
discordant couples are also a concern, pointing to a clear need for couple counseling services which
are presently non-existent or rudimentary. The lack of recent data and research, especially on high-
risk groups, makes further conclusions difficult, and highlights the clear need for more research.
