Country Situational Analysis
Situation of HIV epidemic in the country
According to UNAIDS/WHO estimates for 2007 there are less than 200 people living with HIV in Comoros which is equivalent to less than 0.1% HIV prevalence.
Even though Comoros has a low HIV prevalence, the country report considerable poverty, low condom use, early sexual debut, HIV-related stigma, low HIV awareness and high incidence of sexually transmitted infections.
There are currently only eight people on antiretroviral treatment.
Key elements of the national response
Between January 2006 and December 2007 a series of actions were undertaken with the aim to:
- Strengthen the National Programme to fight AIDS and increase involvement of other ministries other than the Ministry of Health in the response to HIV
- Strengthen partnerships with other stakeholders involved in the response to HIV and with civil society, the private sector, the Ministry of Education and faith-based organisations
- Strengthen prevention activities through inclusion of HIV education in the national curriculum
- Mobilize resources
- Review the national HIV epidemiological data
- Promote awareness of condom use
- Keep HIV prevalence under 1%
Since the end of 2005 the response to HIV has been included in the Strategic Growth and Poverty Reduction Document has included the response to HIV as one of the key elements to increasing the country’s economic and social development.
Key achievements
- Launch of a new Stratetic Plan for 2008-2012 with the overall objective of keeping HIV below 1%.
- Elaboration of a strategic plan to address HIV in the workplace which includes:
- Creating an ethical and juridical environment in the workplace that promotes the respect, dignity and rights of people living with HIV
- Strengthening the care, treatment and support of people living with HIV
- Collating and disseminating epidemiological data about the impact of HIV in the workplace
- Since 2006 there has been a focus on raising awareness of HIV, increasing availability of condoms and scaling-up prevention of mother-to-child transmission
- Launch of the National Plan to Accelerate Prevention (2008-2010)
- Inclusion of HIV education in the national curriculum
Key challenges
- Limited financial resources to implement effective HIV interventions
- Human resources shortage
- Weak monitoring and evaluation
- Widespread HIV-related stigma and discrimination
Useful Links
National Strategic Plan
PMTCT and Paediatric Care and Treatment Fact Sheet
Contacts
UNAIDS Country Office
BP: 648 Moroni – Comores
Tel: +269 73 15 58 / 59
Fax: +269 73 15 77
UNAIDS Global Report Data
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For consistency reasons the data in the table below are taken from official UN publications.
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Demographic data
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Year
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Estimate
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Source
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Total population (thousands)
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2007
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839
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UN Population Division
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Population aged 15-49 (thousands)
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2007
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413
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UN Population Division
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Female population aged 15-24 (thousands)
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2007
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85
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UN Population Division
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Annual population growth rate (%)
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2005-2010
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2.6
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UN Population Division
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% of population in urban areas
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2007
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38
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UN Population Division
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Crude birth rate (births per 1000 pop.)
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2007
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33.7
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UN Population Division
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Crude death rate (deaths per 1000 pop.)
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2007
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6.5
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UN Population Division
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Maternal mortality ratio (per 100 000 live births)
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2005
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400
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WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and The World Bank, 2007
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Life expectancy at birth (years)
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2006
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65
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World Health Statistics 2008, WHO
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Total fertility rate (per woman)
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2006
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4.5
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WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS)
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Infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births)
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2006
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51
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World Health Statistics 2008, WHO
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Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births)
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2006
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68
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World Health Statistics 2008, WHO
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Socio-economic data
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Year
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Estimate
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Source
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Gross national income, ppp, per capita (Int.$)
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2006
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1 140
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World Bank
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Per capita total expenditure on health (Int.$)
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2005
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32
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World Health Statistics 2008, WHO
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General government expenditure on health as % of total government expenditure on health (Int.$)
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2005
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8.0
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World Health Statistics 2008, WHO
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Adult literacy rate, both sexes (%)
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2006
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73
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UNESCO
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Adult literacy rate, male (%)
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2006
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79.6
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UNESCO
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Adult literacy rate, female (%)
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2006
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68.8
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UNESCO
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Net primary school enrolment ratio, male (%)
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2006
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...
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UNESCO
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Net primary school enrolment ratio, female (%)
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2006
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...
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UNESCO
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Human Development Index (ranking)
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2007/2008
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134
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UNDP
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Human Poverty Index (ranking)
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2007/2008
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61
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UNDP
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2005
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2006
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2007
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National funds spent by governments on HIV and AIDS from domestic sources (million USD)
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0.2
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Source: UNAIDS: Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV and AIDS, 2008 Update
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