NAMIBIA

Namibia has an HIV prevalence rate of 15.3 percent among individuals aged 15-49. AIDS has been the leading cause of death in the West African nation since 1996.

Sexual contact and mother-to-child transmission are the primary modes of HIV infection. Women account for 58 percent of Namibia’s HIV infections, putting them in the same high-risk category along with migrant workers, sex workers, and long-distance drivers.

With support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Government team in country, the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center began working in Namibia in December 2007 and currently manages one partnership there.

(source: PEPFAR Country Profile, May 2009)

Updated June 8, 2009