Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 3/14/2005

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CONTENT:

1 - ETHIOPIA: Nationwide HIV/AIDS hotline launched

1 - ETHIOPIA: Nationwide HIV/AIDS hotline launched

ADDIS ABABA, 14 March (PLUSNEWS) - A new HIV/AIDS hotline was launched in

Ethiopia on Thursday, to provide accurate information, counselling and free

referrals to callers across the country.

" We are now receiving 1,800 calls on average every day since the hotline became

available nationwide on 10 March, " Gashaw Mengistu, the coordinator of the

facility, told PlusNews from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

He said a campaign would be launched to promote the hotline on radio and

television, which would hopefully encourage many more people to use the service.

Dubbed the " Wegen AIDS Talkline " , the service will provide a range of

information, including the location of testing centres, ways to prevent

mother-to-child transmission and treatment options such as anti-retroviral

therapy.

The hotline is supported by the United States and two Ethiopian bodies: the

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), and the Ethiopian

Telecommunication ation.

Dialling 952 from any landline in the country will connect to the service, which

has been operating in the Addis Ababa region under a pilot scheme since December

2004.

During the three-month testing phase, counsellors working at the hotline were

closely supervised to ensure the quality of service offered. Support materials

have been tested and revised as needed, according to statement issued by the

talkline.

Ethiopia's AIDS Resource Centre runs the facility which was set up by s

Hopkins University through its Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for

Communication Programs.

" It will have a great impact considering that there is a lot of stigma attached

to HIV/AIDS in the country and many people are not discussing the issue at home.

There is nothing comparable to it, " said Gashaw.

Ato Negatu Mereke, the head of HAPCO, said " the hotline can be an alternative

source of confidential and anonymous counselling, and support for those infected

and affected by the disease. "

According to Ethiopian government figures, around 1.5 million people in the

country have been infected with HIV. Some 12.6 percent of those are in urban

areas. The national prevalence rate is 4.4 percent.

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