FRONTESPIZIO - Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo

7. HIV and skin: an operational research (O.R.) in Tigray region, Ethiopia 1174. Objective of the projectGeneral objectiveThe general objective of the present project is to promote improvement ofthe health service offered to the Ethiopian population through strengtheningof the diagnostic and healing capabilities of the dermatological and venerealpathologies as such and moreover, as above explained, of general systemic andinfectious pathologies (HIV infection included) in rural community ofTigray Regional State.Specific objectives1. To improve the diagnosis and management skill of peripheral health workerson common skin condition related to HIV/AIDS and to other systemicinfections2. To establish a simple database on skin conditions in the project area for futurepublic health service strengthening and improvement of the communityhealth status.5. Project siteThe Tigray Regional StateTigray is the northernmost national regional state of Ethiopia and is locatedbetween latitude 12 o and 15 o north. The region is divided into north-westernand southern lowlands (700-1500 meters above sea level) and centralhighlands (1500-3000 meters above sea level). The region covers 54-572.6square kilometres. Tigray is bounded on the north by Eritrea, on the southby Amhara Regional State, on the east by the Afar Regional State, and on theWest by Sudan.As per the projection of the 1994 Population and housing census the populationof Tigray is estimated at 4.11 million of which 51% are females, andgrowth rate is estimated at 3% per year.Eighty-five percent of the population is rural and engaged in subsistence agriculture.Large population movements have occurred since 1991 GC withpermanent resettlement of refugees, settlement of demobilized soldiers inlowland areas of economic development, and seasonal migrations from highlandsto lowlands for labour on large-scale agricultural development projects.Tigray’s agriculture is based on plough cultivation of mainly cereal crops and