The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Zambia decreased by 1.3 percentage point between 2001 and 2007 and meanwhile, HIV/ AIDS awareness among the Zambian population has increased to about 99 percent, Zambian Health Minister Brain Chituwo said here Tuesday.
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has reduced from 15.6 percent to 14.3percent over a period of six years, he said.
When he officially released the 2007 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS) and launched the Zambia Country Report: Multi-sectoral AIDS Response Monitoring and Evaluation Biennial Report, which he submitted to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS (UNGASS), he attributed the development to government determination to improving the health sector and to stakeholders' involvement in the fighting against the pandemic.
He said the HIV prevalence in rural areas decreased from 10.8 percent in 2001 to 10.3 percent in 2007 while in urban areas, the figure slightly increased.
Chituwo said that Zambia recorded an improvement in the maternal health care with a decrease in child mortality rates.
The minister said there was a tremendous improvement protection of 7.9 percent in 2001 to 32.7 percent last year on malaria fights especially among pregnant women who used treated mosquito nets.
Speaking earlier, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country representative Aeneas Chuma commended the Zambian government for managing to reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Chuma has since called for huge investment in the health sector to achieve the intended targets.
He called for the formulation of Community HIV/AIDS Task Forces in communities to further combat and reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Source: Xinhua
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