PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

HIV/AIDS AND OTHER SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
12
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) that weakens the immune system, making the body susceptible to and unable to recover from
other diseases.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has become a serious health and development problem in many
countries around the world. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimated the number
of HIV infections worldwide at about 34 million at the end of 1999, of which 25 million are found in sub-
Saharan Africa (UNAIDS, 2000). Another 19 million people infected with HIV have died from the
disease since the beginning of the epidemic—4 million of them were children. Most of these deaths
occurred in Africa.
AIDS probably started to spread in Ethiopia in the early 1980s. The first evidence of HIV
infection was found in 1984, and the first AIDS case was reported in 1986. Although HIV prevalence
was very low in Ethiopia during the early 1980s, it has been increasing rapidly in the past few years.
At the end of 2000, there were an estimated 2.6 million Ethiopians living with HIV/AIDS, of whom
250,000 were children below age 5 (MOH, 2000). The cumulative number of AIDS-related deaths from
the beginning of the epidemic was estimated at about 1.2 million in 2000, and is expected to increase
to 1.7 million by 2002 (MOH, 2000).
The government of Ethiopia has developed a national policy on HIV/AIDS. The policy is
designed to guide the implementation of successful programs to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Prevention and control measures include discouraging multiple sexual relationships, promoting the use
of condoms among high-risk groups, maintaining a safe blood supply, ensuring safe use of needles, and
disseminating information through public campaigns to change social attitudes and behavior.
The Ethiopia DHS included a series of questions on HIV/AIDS. Female and male respondents
were asked whether they had heard of AIDS and if so, the source of information on AIDS. Several
questions were also asked to assess respondents’ level of awareness about the disease, their knowledge
of the modes of transmission, whether they thought it was possible to prevent AIDS (and if so, how),
whether they had used condoms for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, and their attitude toward the disease.
Respondents were also asked whether they had discussed the disease with their spouse.
12.1 AIDS AWARENESS
Table 12.1 shows the percentage of women and men who have heard of AIDS by background
characteristics. Knowledge of AIDS is very high among Ethiopians, with women somewhat less likely
to have heard of the infection than men (85 percent and 96 percent, respectively). In addition, three
in four women and nine in ten men believe there is a way to avoid getting AIDS. Overall, there are small
differences by background characteristics in the awareness of AIDS. Residents of rural areas, women
residing in the Somali Region, and men residing in the Gambela Region are less likely than residents of
urban areas and other regions to have heard of AIDS. Not surprisingly, education improves respondents’
knowledge of AIDS.
HIV/AIDS and Other STIs* 159