Ethiopia Uses Emergency Plan Funds to Launch State-of-the Art HIV/AIDS Hotline

Wegen AIDS Talkline Statistics
Ethiopia Uses Emergency Plan Funds to Launch State-of-the Art HIV/AIDS Hotline Press Release
Wegen AIDS Talkline Profile (pdf format )
Wegen AIDS Talkline Statistics from December 2004 to February 2005 (pdf format )

Ethiopia Uses Emergency Plan Funds to Launch State-of-the Art HIV/AIDS Hotline Press Release
A new state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS hotline system is being introduced in Ethiopia to provide accurate information, skilled counseling, and rapid referrals free of charge to callers across the country.

The talkline called "Wegen AIDS Talkline" will provide a wide range of information on HIV/AIDS, including voluntary counseling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and possible avenues for treatment including anti-retroviral therapy. The talkline is supported by United States through President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), along with Ethiopia's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), and the Ethiopian Telecommunication Cooperation (ETC).

The talkline which can be reached from any landline telephone in the country by dialing 952 has been in operation in the Addis Ababa area since December 2004 and will be available nationwide as of March 10, 2005. Trained counselors are on duty from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. During the three-month pilot phase, counselors were closely monitored and supervised to ensure quality, and support materials have been tested and revised as needed. Additional counselors will be hired and trained once the AIDS Hotline goes national in March 2005.

The hotline is operated by Ethiopia's AIDS Resource Center (ARC), which is also supported by HAPCO and PEPFAR through CDC and implemented by Johns Hopkins University through its Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (CCP).

"A national HIV/AIDS hotline will be an excellent means of availing up-to-date and accurate information on HIV/AIDS," said Ato Negatu Mereke, the Head of HAPCO. "In addition the hotline can be an alternative source of confidential and anonymous counseling and support for those infected and affected by the disease."

"The talkline counselors are trained to encourage callers seeking HIV prevention information to abstain from sex, be faithful to one partner, or use condoms every time they have sex," said Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Ethiopia. "They also have up-to-date resources on everything from prevention of mother-to-child transmission to anti-retroviral therapy to care and support for those living with HIV."

ARC serves as a hub for a host of resources and services, such as a comprehensive multimedia collection, high-speed computer terminals with Internet access, audiovisual equipment, and an HIV/AIDS website with searchable databases of local and international HIV/AIDS organizations, materials, news, events and conferences and funding opportunities. The center houses the new hotline service, where seven full-time staff and sixteen volunteers use modern telephone systems to counsel callers.

Since its opening in 2001, the ARC has been providing an extensive range of information services on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB). The ARC has taken the lead in the production of a national PMTCT and ART communication strategy for Ethiopia and produced high-quality and culturally appropriate behavior change communication (BCC) materials on various health topics. In addition the Center has conducted training for radio, TV and print journalists in HIV/AIDS reporting.

With representatives in more than 30 countries, Johns Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication programs for behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication.

HAPCO was established in 2000 to coordinate and direct the implementation of the country's HIV/AIDS policy. In partnership with all stakeholders, HAPCO designed Ethiopia's five-year strategic plan to combat the epidemic, and administers government grants for HIV/AIDS programs and research.

CDC is supporting the Ethiopian government to reduce the incidence of HV/AIDS, STI and TB through prevention, care and support and treatment and capacity building activities. CDC Ethiopia's plan of assistance was developed based on the expressed needs of the Ethiopian government and in support of the multi-sectoral strategic plan of the country.