The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has reached 5 percent among Ethiopian women and it is still on the rise, according to a government report on Friday.

HIV/AIDS, compounded with poverty, was one of the major challenges for the health of mothers and the survival of children in Ethiopia, said the report issued by the Ministry of Health.

"Ethiopian women are vulnerable to HIV infection due to their low socio-economic status on top of the biological factors," it said.

According to government statistics, close to 2 million people are currently living with the virus in Ethiopia, making it the country with the largest HIV-infected population in the world. However, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) estimate that over 3 million people live with the virus in the country.

The current prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is estimated at 4.4 percent at Ethiopia's national level.

"This five percent HIV prevalence among the women is a bad news. It shows that there is still a lot that need to be done in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women," said the report.

Source: Xinhua