By Woubishet Sisay – The Ethiopian Ministry of Health said that 106,000 people in Ethiopia are not even aware of the existence of the virus in their blood.
More than 610,000 people in the country have HIV in their blood, said Ethiopian Health Minister Dr. Leah Tadesse. She pointed out the spread of HIV is still causing economic and social problems in the country.
The prevalence of the spread of HIV in the country is 0.91 percent and more than 610,350 people are reported to have the virus in their blood, while the number of newly infected people reached more than 8,200.
The distribution rate varies from region to region, with a maximum of 3.69 percent in Gambella and 3.47 percent in Addis Ababa and a minimum of 0.18 percent in Somali regional government according to the ministry.
It is indicated that this rate varies within the region itself from place to place and within the community, and more than 11,300 people die from the disease. The ministry expresses its commitment to work hard in decreasing the risk of HIV transmission in Ethiopia to the level that it will no more become a threat to the community by 2030.
It is also said that tremendous efforts are being made to increase participation of the community, considering their significant role to play in preventing the spread of HIV and avoid discrimination against those living with the virus.