ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Although Ethiopia has achieved significant progress over the past two decades in reducing HIV prevalence rate and AIDS-related deaths, the gains have been challenged by complacency, for which the East African country is now engaged in activities of revitalizing and scaling up anti-HIV/AIDS interventions, the country's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) has said.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the HAPCO Public Relations and Communication Director, Daniel Betre, said the Office has designed and been implementing various activities to regain the achievements made over the past two decades, including among others awareness raising activities among vulnerable groups of the society.
In the past years, Ethiopia has witnessed a marked reduction in HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality, whereby it has reduced new HIV infections by 70 percent and AIDS-related deaths by 90 percent, the Director has recalled.
With its robust anti-HIV/AIDS interventions in the past two decades, Ethiopia has been able to reduce HIV prevalence rate from 3.3 percent in the year 2000 to 0.9 percent in 2017, and AIDS-related deaths from 83, 000 in the year 2000 to 15,600 in 2017, which shows that the country was on the right track to deliver on its commitments.
However, HAPCO says the gains made then seem to be challenged by complacency regarding primary HIV prevention.
Despite the progress in those past years, and also ongoing efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the HAPCO Public Relations and Communications Director warned that it would cause a crisis at country level again if the current situation remains without being addressed with concerted and sustained efforts of anti-HIV/AIDS interventions like in the past.
"Still today, we are losing over 13,000 citizens every year due to HIV/AIDS-related deaths, despite such efforts, and also about 13,000 new infections every year. Currently, over 600,000 people are infected with HIV (PLHIV) in Ethiopia, out of which only 470,000 are on on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and this shows that there is a lot to be done to reach the rest of them," Daniel has noted.
According to HAPCO (2018), the HIV prevalence in Ethiopia heterogeneous by sex, geographic areas and population groups, whereby HIV prevalence is seven times higher than in urban areas than in rural areas, 2.9 percent and 0.4 percent respectively, while HIV prevalence is 3.6 percent among women in urban areas compared to 0.6 percent among women in rural areas.
And the HIV prevalence is also disproportionate in the nine regions and two city administrations of the country, ranging from 4.8 percent in Gambella regional state to 0.1 percent in Somali regional state OF Ethiopia. The HIV prevalence in the country's capital Addis Ababa is the second highest next to Gambella with 3.4 percent.
In Ethiopia as of May 2018, 79 percent PLHIV know their status, 71 percent of eligible PLHIV are on treatment (ART), and 87 percent of those ART have attained viral suppression. However, viral load service coverage is 51 percent, according to HAPCO.
Recalling the time when HIV/AIDS was an epidemic in the country, causing health, social, economic and demographic impacts, Daniel said various response efforts and interventions have been carried out at country level to address the situation, with remarkable progress then after.
"There was a time when many elders were left without helpers, and many children became orphans, and even it was very difficult to manage funerals. Given the crisis caused by the epidemic, concerted efforts and interventions were carried out as a response at country level then," Daniel has said.
"Different segments of the society had made concerted efforts; religious institutions had indispensable role, in addition to their religious activities, they were campaigning and teaching in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and the media had irreplaceable role, especially in producing and releasing various spots, and different artistic works; there were awareness raising activities; and also the top leadership, whereby officials were appeared in posters, promoting the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign; and awareness raising activities were also successful then; and remarkable progress was made due to that,"
"However, following the achievements of reduction in new infections and AIDS-related deaths, complacency has been in the past few years, and there has come misunderstanding, even to the extent that some perceive that HIV/AIDS has been eradicated," he said, indicating the behavior being witnessed with different segments of the society and young generation (sexually active groups of the society) these days, including at higher learning institutions, where the students focus more on pregnancy than HIV/AIDS; and he warned that the HIV/AIDS would cause worse impact at national level, and would cost the country a lot if the situation continues this way.
Speaking of the activities planned and being implemented at country level, especially with HAPCO, the Director said his Office has forged media forum to closely work with the media and also launched initiatives with relevant stakeholders and partners to address the issue.
"Cognizant of the current situation, we are now making concerted efforts; one is forging close partnership with the media, and we established Media Forum; and conducting various media tours; because the media play an irreplaceable role, and we are trying our best in this regard," he said.
Ethiopia has an HIV Prevention Road Map for the years 2018-2020, aiming at renewing commitment of all stakeholders and partners, particularly the political leadership, implementers, and donors to focus and reinvigorate the HIV prevention responses across all levels.
Of the main objectives of the road map one is to provide guidance for geographical and population prioritization of HIV prevention interventions to optimize reduction of new HIV infections, targeting to reduce adult new HIV infection by 50 percent from 2016 baseline of 9,800 to 4,900 by the year 2020.
