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Urban Women in Zambia Record Higher HIV/AIDS Prevalence

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 09:00 CST

Urban women in Zambia record higher HIV/AIDS prevalence

LUSAKA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Women living in urban areas in Zambia recorded higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS compared with those in rural areas, according to a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Health of Zambia.

Overall HIV prevalence in 2004 was 18.7 percent among women aged 15-44 years who attended 23 antenatal clinics surveyed. However, HIV prevalence among women in urban sites was 25 percent, much higher compared with 11.8 percent recorded in rural areas, said the report.

The graphics in the report showed that of the total 23 clinic sites that are surveyed, the top ten HIV prevalence sites are all from urban areas with the country's tourist capital Livingstone leading others at a rate of 32.3 percent.

Among women aged between 15-19 years, HIV prevalence is 11.6 percent overall, 14.6 percent among young women in urban sites and 8.7 percent in rural sites.

Addressing a press briefing here on Monday when the UNAIDS released its AIDS epidemic update report globally, country coordinator in Zambia Catherine Sozi said HIV/AIDS in Zambia was still high but stable.

She said 18 to 20 percent of Zambia's 11 million people are affected with HIV/AIDS.

"That is to say, one in five Zambians is HIV positive," Sozi said.

The Zambian government has taken a series of measures in the fight against the scourge, such as free HIV counseling and test, free antiretroviral treatment to those who are HIV positive, etc. But Sozi said the government needed to do more.

"Not enough has been done since more and more people are getting infected, mainly in young people, not only in Zambia but on the whole continent," she said.

Sozi observed that there were more women than men in Zambian who received HIV test and treatment.

She thus called for more involvement of men in the fight against the disease which shackled the development of the nation.

Currently there are about 40,000 people who are receiving antiretroviral treatment in Zambia. The government has earlier set up a goal to put 100,000 people under treatment by the end of this year.

Sozi said it was unlikely the government could achieve that goal.

Sozi further pointed out that HIV/AIDS is not only a heath issue but also a social one. In this regard, she said UNAIDS would assist the Zambian government in addressing issues like helping more children get access to basic education, change of people's habit in dealing with HIV/AIDS and preventing violence especially sexual violence.

The coordinator also briefed the media about the latest report on HIV/AIDS epidemic around the world.

She said globally more than 40 million people are living with the disease with five million newly infected in 2005.

She said, citing the report, sub-Saharan Africa remained hardest hit in the world and it was home to 25.8 million HIV- infected people, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world total.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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