152 Voluntary
counseling & testing
sites
14 sentinel surveillance
sites (6 urban and 8 rural
sites)
13 sites provide Antiretroviral
Treatment
20 sites provide Prevention
of Mother to child Transfusion
(PMTCT)
STI Prevention & control
available in all hospitals
Blood banks in many hospitals
VCT & Art Center
To combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic,
different efforts have been
made so far in the region.
Expanding Voluntary
Counseling and HIV Testing
(VCT) and Providing
Antiretroviral Viral
Therapy (ART) services
is among the highest priorities.
The Health Bureau is working
with different stakeholders
to introduce different VCT
models in the region such
as "Free-standing"
or Integrated (with existing
health services), mobile/outreach
VCT services, private and
NGOs, Youth friendly VCT,
and at work place, etc.
In 1997 EC (2004/2005
GC)., 98,512 people received
VCT services in Amhara, up
from 33,632 in 1996
(2003/2004)
As per the 1998
EC biannual report 55,812
people received VCT service
of those 6,486 were found
HIV +
Since time
Antiretroviral Treatment (ART)
service
has been available (2004)
uptake has increased in the
region. As per the 1998
EC (2005) Semi annual
report 4, 534 people are using
ART service. The 2004 Semi
annual report shows
that only 470 people
were receiving the service.
The estimated
number of people newly
needing ART service for the
year 2005 is 10,1472.
See also
VCT & Art Center
Currently
Prevention
of Mother to Child Transmission
(PMTCT) is available in
20 sites in the region.
As of the 1998 EC Semi Annual
(2005) , a total of 5001 pregnant
women have received pre counseling
service, 3628 got tested,
363 tested positive.
In addition, 111 and
72 infants have received Nevirapine.
The management
of HIV opportunistic
infections was being
practiced in the region though
its expansion faces many challenges,
of which shortage of medical
supplies is the major one.
From July 2003 to June 2004,
a total of 45316 cases were
reported for all health institutions
of which 10,142 were treated
based on Syndromic management
of STIs.
The region
response is constrained by
extremely limited human, financial,
technical, material, and management
capacities. Of major concerns
for care and support services
are low VCT coverage, lack
of trainers for counselors,
high turn over of staffs,
unsustainable test kits provision,
difficulties to establish
a referral system between
VCT and care and support services, and
shortage of care & support
organizations.
*Sentinel
surveillance data are collected
from health facilities that
regularly provide antenatal
services to pregnant mothers.
Data on the sero status of
pregnant women ages 15 to
49 at these sentinel sites
are used to estimate HIV prevalence
rates for Ethiopia.
source: AIDS in Ethiopia Technical
report
