ETHIOPIA: HIV/AIDS prevalence at 6.6 percent

The recent fourth edition of "AIDS in Ethiopia," shows HIV/AIDS prevalence in Ethiopia for 2002 at 6.6 percent, the Addis Tribune reported last week. The fourth edition is an update on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia published by the Disease Prevention and Control Department of the Ministry of Health. "It is to be noted that this change in national HIV/AIDS prevalence does not imply that the pandemic in Ethiopia is declining," the report said. Prevalence rates presented in the third edition reflected a higher rate of infection at 7.3 percent. The new edition is based on data from 34 sites, of which 28 are urban and 6 are rural areas. The report noted that while prevalence rates for rural areas remained low at 3.7 percent, urban rates continued to be high at 13.7 percent. UNAIDS recently estimated prevalence rates among adults between the age of 15-49 years to be at 6.4 percent.