COTE D'IVOIRE

Côte d’Ivoire has a generalized HIV epidemic with the highest prevalence rate in the West African region, estimated at 7.1 percent in adults ages 15-49. The prevalence rate appears to have remained relatively stable for the past decade, with recent declines among pregnant women in urban areas. Civil conflict in the country continues to hinder the collection of new national HIV-related data. In 2005, a national AIDS Indicator Survey was completed, which provided accurate data on various aspects of the epidemic, including prevalence rates among diverse demographic sub-groups. Populations at comparatively high risk for HIV infection include women ages 20-24, people in prostitution, youth and the military. The prolonged political-military crisis, in addition to exacerbating the vulnerability of these groups, is likely to have created additional at-risk populations given the large-scale military deployment, massive population displacement, and increase in poverty.

(source: PEPFAR Country Profile, June 2008)