Swaziland's already stark AIDS crisis appears to have worsened, as new government data Monday showed an increase in HIV infections among pregnant women.
The prevalence of HIV among pregnant women was at 42.6 percent in 2004. The rate dropped to 39.2 percent in 2006, only to rise again last year to 42.2 percent, the report said.
Pregnancy and Complications
In-depth guide for expecting mothers to overcome health complications related to early or late pregnancy. Anemia, urinary infection, diabetes, premature labor to name a few.
In-depth guide for expecting mothers to overcome health complications related to early or late pregnancy. Anemia, urinary infection, diabetes, premature labor to name a few.
The ante-natal study conducted every two years has been on the rise since the first survey in 1992, when the rate was 3.9 percent.
Xaba said that infection rates appeared to be stabilising among teenage mothers.
HIV/AIDS - Mother to child transfer
HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, during birth, or through breast-feeding
HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, during birth, or through breast-feeding
AIDS activists have criticised government's inadequate distribution of medications in a country where close to 40 percent of the adult population is infected with the disease.
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In August 2008, a group of mostly HIV-positive women staged an unprecedented protest against a foreign shopping spree by eight of King Mswati's 13 wives, ahead of his extravagant 40th birthday celebration.
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Swaziland Population Drops as Country Battles AIDS
The population of the AIDS-riven kingdom of Swaziland, already one of the smallest countries in Africa, has fallen by around a fifth in the last decade, figures showed Friday.
The population of the AIDS-riven kingdom of Swaziland, already one of the smallest countries in Africa, has fallen by around a fifth in the last decade, figures showed Friday.
SRM
