HIV/AIDS in Guinea

HIV/AIDS in Guinea

Prevalence

HIV is spreading quickly in Guinea. The estimated total number of adults and children living with HIV in 2003 was 140,000 (with a low estimate of 51,000 and a high estimate of 360,000), up from an estimated 110,000 in 2001, indicating an increase in adult prevalence of 0.4% (from 2.8 to 3.2%) over the two-year period. [http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/Countries/africa/guinea_05.pdf "Health Profile: Guinea"] . USAID (March 2005). PD-notice]

HIV prevalence varies by region. Surveillance surveys conducted among women seeking antenatal care in 2001 and 2002 show higher rates of HIV in urban areas than in rural areas (3.2 vs. 2.6%, respectively). Prevalence was highest in Conakry (5%) and in the cities of the Forest Guinea region (7%) bordering Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

HIV is spread primarily through multiple-partner heterosexual intercourse. Men and women are at nearly equal risk for HIV, with young people aged 15 to 24 most vulnerable. Surveillance figures from 2001–2002 show high rates among commercial sex workers (42%), active military personnel (6.6%), truck drivers and bush taxi drivers (7.3%), miners (4.7%), and adults with tuberculosis (8.6%).

Several factors are fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Guinea. They include unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, illiteracy, endemic poverty, unstable borders, refugee migration, lack of civic responsibility, and scarce medical care and public services.

National response

As one of the poorest nations in the world, Guinea faces daunting social, economic, and political problems. Until 2002, the national response to the epidemic was weak, primarily because of a lack of governmental commitment, poor leadership, and inadequate resources. Since then, high-level political commitment and will to fight HIV/AIDS have been strengthened, but little money has been allocated to health, and most government-backed projects are funded primarily with external financing.

The National AIDS Control Program was reorganized in 2002, partly to meet the requirements for receipt of a $20 million loan from the World Bank to fight HIV/AIDS. Government response to the epidemic is now directed through the Office of the Prime Minister. The National AIDS Commission directs general activities, whereas the National Program for the Care, Support, and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS manages clinical activities (i.e., overseeing surveillance and testing, and providing counseling, care, and support to individuals living with HIV/AIDS).

About half of the government ministries have designed action plans to address HIV/AIDS in their work. The Ministry of Communication, for example, is charged with managing behavior change communication efforts, and the Ministry of Planning supervises epidemiological research.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • HIV/Aids in Afrika — AIDS Poster in der Elfenbeinküste. Verbreitung von AIDS in Afrika (zu den grau markierten Gebieten liegen keine Daten vor) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Afrika — AIDS Poster in der Elfenbeinküste Verbreitung vo …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea — PrevalenceWith 1.28 percent of the adult population estimated by UNAIDS to be HIV positive in 2006, Papua New Guinea has one of the most serious HIV/AIDS epidemics in the Asia Pacific subregion. Although this new prevalence rate is significantly… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Africa — The HIV/AIDS epidemics spreading through the countries of Sub Saharan Africa are highly varied. Although it is not correct to speak of a single African epidemic, Africa is without doubt the region most affected by the virus. Inhabited by just… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in East Timor — PrevalenceTimor Leste is a low HIV prevalence country with less than 0.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV positive. However, social factors such as massive social dislocation, cross border migration, high unemployment, and a… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Australia — This page is about the history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Australia. For a history of the disease worldwide, see the AIDS pandemic.The history of HIV/AIDS in Australia is distinctive.… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua — PrevalenceWith only 0.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV positive, Nicaragua has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in Central America. HIV was first detected in Nicaragua in 1987, after concentrated epidemics had been… …   Wikipedia

  • HIV/AIDS in Bolivia — PrevalenceWith less than 1 percent of Bolivia s adult population estimated to be HIV positive, the country has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Bolivia’s first case of HIV was diagnosed in 1985,… …   Wikipedia

  • National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention — The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is responsible for public health surveillance, prevention research, and programs to prevent and… …   Wikipedia

  • Guinea — Infobox Country native name = République de Guinée conventional long name = Republic of Guinea common name = Guinea national motto = Travail, Justice, Solidarité spaces|2(French) Work, Justice, Solidarity national anthem = la Liberté… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”