Epidemic level and trend and gender data

Somalia has suffered from prolonged civil strife since the central government collapsed in 1991 and is ranked among the world's least-developed countries. It is in a period of considerable political, social and economic transition, compounded by the emergence of HIV/AIDS and risk factors that may lead to a rapid escalation of the epidemic. Prevalence surveys conducted in 1999 and 2004 by WHO provide the only reliable data currently available. The 1999 studies conducted only in the North East Somalia (Puntland) revealed 0.9% prevalence among blood donors and 0.9% among women attending antenatal clinics; in 2004, they revealed higher prevalence rates among the three groups studied, with variation between zones.

The indicators are :

• HIV prevalence rate in Puntland 0.9%
• Contraceptive Prevalence Rates?
• Number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS?

Condom Use and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

Contraceptive use in Puntland is too low .The use of male condom as a form of family planning increased from 0.0% in 1999 to 0.5% in 2005.

Challenges

• I don't care attitude - a substantial proportion of men and women continue to indulge in risky sexual practices despite awareness of the consequences.
• Irregular, inconsistent or non use of condom by significant proportion of the population.
• There is still strong resistance against use of condoms, especially within
  marriage.
  
• Increasing prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) - about 15% of men and women with STIs have tested positive
• Although this has been minimized significantly, there still exist risks of receiving infected blood through transfusion.