MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique is facing a severe, generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic, but the impact is not uniformly distributed. In 2005, the prevalence of HIV infection among adults ages 15 to 49 was estimated to be 16.1 percent. The primary mode of transmission is through heterosexual contact, with women at much greater risk for HIV infection than men. Young women ages 15 to 24 have an estimated HIV prevalence of 10.7 percent, compared to a prevalence rate of 3.6 percent among young men in the same age group. A civil war restricted movement within and outside the country until 1992, but returning refugees, as well as economic and commercial activity since then has rapidly fueled HIV prevalence to levels nearly as high as those in neighboring countries. Other populations with high HIV prevalence rates include mobile populations, people in prostitution, and those living in close proximity to major transportation routes. Mozambique also suffers co-epidemics of tuberculosis and malaria in addition to seasonal cholera outbreaks, all of which exacerbate the impact of HIV/AIDS.

(source: PEPFAR Country Profile, June 2008)