Blitz Bureau
ADDIS ABABA: Tigray was once considered a model in the fight against HIV. Years of awarenessraising efforts had brought the region’s HIV prevalence rate to 1.4 per cent, one of the lowest in Ethiopia. Then, in 2020, war began between Ethiopia’s Government, backed by neighbouring Eritrea, and Tigray fighters.
Now, the average monthly positive rate has “increased considerably”, said Akberet Mengesha, the anti-retroviral therapy Department Coordinator at the Ayder Refferal Hospital in Mekele, Tigray region.
Sexual violence was widespread in the two-year conflict, which also had mass killings, hunger and disease. As many as 10 per cent of women and girls aged between 15 and 49 were subject to sexual abuse, according to a study published by BMJ Global Health in 2023.
Tigray’s health system was systematically looted and destroyed, leaving only 17 pc of health centers functional, according to another study in the same journal.
According to a report done by the Tigray Regional Health Bureau in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and WHO, 86 pc of health facilities in the region were “partially damaged”, and 3 pc were “completely damaged.” As a result, 90 per cent of sexual violence survivors did not get timely medical support.
