The HIV epidemic and prevention response in Tigrai, Ethiopia: a synthesis at sub-national level

BACKGROUND: This study, the first of its kind carried out at sub-national level in Ethiopia, was conducted in order to understand the dynamics of HIV transmission at regional and district level in Tigrai, Ethiopia; and to assess the adequacy of the HIV prevention response. METHODS: Routine data from health centres, data from available published and grey literature and studies, and primary qualitative information were triangulated to draw an updated picture of the HIV epidemic, HIV response and resource allocation in Tigrai. RESULTS: HIV prevalence in Tigrai was 1.8% in 2011 (EDHS). ANC data show that there has been a continuous decline in the prevalence of HIV in both urban and rural areas (urban: 14.9% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2009; rural: 5.2% in 2001 to 1.3% in 2009, ANC surveillance data). Variability in prevalence by zone and by district was observed. Possible reasons for higher prevalence include the presence of mobile seasonal workers, highly urbanized centres, a high concentration of economic activity and connecting roads and large commercial farms. Sex workers, seasonal farm workers and HIV negative partners in discordant couples were identified as being at higher risk. There is no evidence that programme planning is done on the basis of geographical variations in HIV prevalence and there are gaps in programmes and services for certain high risk population groups. CONCLUSION: Considerable efforts have been invested in the HIV prevention response in Tigrai however, these efforts do not fully respond to the actual needs. For a more effective and targeted HIV prevention response, studies and data syntheses need to be carried out at sub-national level in order to accurately identify local specificities and plan accordingly. Resources should be targeted towards areas where transmission is linked to sex work, mobility and the mobile labour workforce

How Uganda Reversed Its HIV Epidemic

Uganda is one of only two countries in the world that has successfully reversed the course of its HIV epidemic. There remains much controversy about how Uganda's HIV prevalence declined in the 1990s. This article describes the prevention programs and activities that were implemented in Uganda during critical years in its HIV epidemic, 1987 to 1994. Multiple resources were aggregated to fuel HV prevention campaigns at multiple levels to a far greater degree than in neighboring countries. We conclude that the reversed direction of the HIV epidemic in Uganda was the direct result of these interventions and that other countries in the developing world could similarly prevent or reverse the escalation of HIV epidemics with greater availability of HIV prevention resources, and well designed programs that take efforts to a critical breadth and depth of effort

Cross-sectional study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in a rural population in Rakai district : serology and risk factors

Thesis, University of Nairobi, 1987Project number related to IDRC support could not be determine

The missed HIV-positive children of Ethiopia

Objective: As elsewhere, due to scarcity of data and limited awareness of HIV infection, especially in older children, the HIV epidemic among Ethiopian children appears neglected in national programs (children ART coverage is of only 12% in 2013). This paper estimates the country burden of HIV in older children and investigates the prevalence of HIV in orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) households. Design/Methods: We analyzed national HIV data for Ethiopia, using Spectrum/ Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) and primary data on children living in households with at least one HIV-positive adult in the Amhara and Tigrai regions. Descriptive analysis of the age and sex distribution of HIV-positive OVC in Ethiopia was performed. Results: Our Spectrum/EPP analysis estimated the population of HIV-positive children under 15 years old to be 160,000 in 2013. The majority of children (81•6%) were aged five to 14 years. The estimated number of orphans due to AIDS was 800,000. The empirical data from almost 10,000 OVC under 18 years showed 11•9% were HIV-positive, the majority of whom were between five and 10 years old with no significant difference between males and females. Conclusions: There is a large population of children living with HIV in Ethiopia, the magnitude of which not previously recognized. The majority were vertically infected and never identified nor linked into treatment. OVC represent a reachable group which could account for a substantial proportion of the HIV infected older children. We recommend that HIV programs urgently synergize with social protection sectors and address these children with HIV testing and related services

AIDS and HIV infection in Uganda--are more women infected than men?

In countries in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV is transmitted primarily heterosexually. HIV infection and AIDS in women not only affects women's health but also has implications for the other members of society. Maternal infection is the source of most childhood HIV infection in Africa and maternal health is a strong predictor of child survival. In Uganda, a review of passive AIDS surveillance has shown almost equal numbers of clinical cases reported in men and women. However, in three population-based HIV serosurveys, women were consistently found to have a higher infection rate (approximately 1.4 times) than men. In addition, both AIDS case surveillance and seroprevalence studies demonstrate an earlier age of presentation and mean age of infection in women. The higher rate of HIV infection in women suggests either differential rates of transmission between women and men, higher rates of female sexual exposure to infected men, or longer survival among HIV-infected women compared with men. Although further studies are required to illuminate both the biology and the epidemiology of heterosexual HIV transmission in Africa, these findings of earlier and higher infection rates in women have important implications for women's health and child survival in Uganda and indicate the need for specially targeted interventions to reduce transmission in this group

Age distribution of (a) HIV-negative and (b) HIV-positive among OVC supported by NNPWE through the USAID ENHAT-CS program, Amhara and Tigrai regions, Ethiopia, 2013.

<p>Age distribution of (a) HIV-negative and (b) HIV-positive among OVC supported by NNPWE through the USAID ENHAT-CS program, Amhara and Tigrai regions, Ethiopia, 2013.</p

Number of maternal AIDS orphans, by age, 2013 (A).

<p>(A) EPP/Spectrum estimates, 2012.</p