HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia - An epidemiological synthesis

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.