ETHIOPIA: 250,000 UNDER-FIVES IN HAVE HIV/AIDS

Desta Woldeyohannes, who heads the HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted
Diseases Prevention and Control Section of the ministry, said "The problem
here is the mothers are not getting tested before they get married and the
mothers may be infected before marriage," she told IRIN. "While she is
pregnant, maybe the husband gets infected and passes the virus on to her and
the unborn child."
Ethiopia has the third highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the
world. According to the ministry of health around 3.2 million people have
contracted the virus in the country. As yet no official figures exist on the
number of children between the ages of five and fourteen who have contracted
the virus.
The virus has also orphaned a million children, placing a huge burden on
already overstretched social services. Desta said the ministry of health is
aiming to increase the number of counsellors in the country to work with
people who have HIV/AIDS.
Speaking at the opening of a 10-day workshop, she said up to 250 people will
be trained by the ministry. The ministry believes that by the year 2014, the
number of orphans will reach 2.1 million.
The Ethiopian government has identified AIDS as one of the toughest issues
it now faces and has turned to the international community for help. The
World Bank has already given a US $59 million loan to the government to help
tackle the crisis.

SOURCE: IRIN Africa English reports, 6 February 2002