About 60 percent of people aged between 15 and 49 in AIDS-ravaged Malawi lack comprehensive knowledge about HIV prevention, a new survey has said.
A UN-funded study of 31.200 households across the impoverished southern African nation unveiled Thursday showed that only 40 percent of the targeted respondents were properly clued in about the disease and prevention methods.
– The indicators make depressing reading, said Health Minister Marjorie Ngaunje.
– However there are still some positive indicators in the survey that reflect the programmes and policies the current government put in place to address the plight of women and children in the country, added she.
The study said that 40 percent of women aged between 15 and 24 used a condom while having sex with a casual partner. The figure for men was significantly higher at 60 percent.
Around 14 percent of Malawis 13 million people are infected with HIV, according to official figures. There are about 78.000 AIDS-related deaths every year.
Kilde: The Push Journal
