Jonglei villages have high HIV prevalence rates: officials
June 5, 2015(BOR) – The practice of wife inheritance is the main cause of the increasing spread of Human Immune Virus (HIV) in villages across South Sudan’s Jonglei state, health officials disclosed.
“Women are under high risk. For instance, out of 740 women who visited antenatal care facilities, 10 were found positive with the virus. This is a big number,” Kuol told lawmakers in the assembly on Friday.
According to a 2012 survey conducted by the national government, Jonglei was found to have HIV infection rate of 1.3 %, while Western Equatoria state topped with 6.8%.
The minister said the population remained at risk, if immediate measures were not taken inform the various communities in the counties on the dangers of the disease.
Practices of wife inheritance is mainly common among the Murle, Nuer, Dinka and Anuak communities who hail from South Sudan’s largest and most populous state.
Lacks of awareness on the dangers of the disease, coupled with the misconceptions on condom use, have worsened HIV infection rates.
Also, most of the health facilities providing assistance to the population have been destroyed in the country’s ongoing conflict.
“By the time of the war, we had 650 patients under ARVs, but 175 of them lost the follow up during the crisis, we could not trace them when we came back. Till now, we don’t know whether they are dead or alive”, Kuol said in his report to lawmakers in Bor.
(ST)