Ethiopian Health Ministry Estimates 250,000 Ethiopian Children Infected With HIV
Approximately 250,000 Ethiopian children under five years of age are HIV-positive, the Ethiopian health ministry announced Tuesday. A UNICEF official working with AIDS prevention efforts in Addis Ababa confirmed the total but added that the figure is an "estimate." To fight mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the country, the health ministry and UNICEF are organizing a seminar for midwives and gynecologists on how to care for HIV-positive pregnant women. The World Bank estimates that three million Ethiopians are HIV-positive; UNAIDS has stated that 10.6% of Ethiopian adults have HIV. Ethiopia currently has a population of 62.8 million (Agence France-Presse, 10/2).
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