As of 2008, Zambia’s adult HIV prevalence rate was
estimated to be 15.2 percent among the population aged 15-49.
Sexual contact is the prime mode of transmission and is often exacerbated by the presence of untreated STIs during unprotected sex. HIV prevalence rates vary considerably within the country, with infection rates highest in cities and towns along major transportation routes and lower in rural areas with low population density.
According to WHO reports, young women between the ages of 25 -34 are at much higher risk of being infected by HIV than young men in the same age group; their prevalence rates are 12.7 and 3.8 percent, respectively. Other at-risk
populations include military personnel, commercial sex workers, truck drivers, and people who work in fisheries.
With support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US government team in country, the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center currently manages four partnerships in Zambia.
(source: PEPFAR Country Profile, May 2009)
Updated June 8, 2009
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