HIV/AIDS
The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is estimated to be less than 0.1%, with a reported number of 11,187 persons living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005. Of the 11,187 reported persons living with HIV/AIDS, 7,623 are under active surveillance and 57.2% of them are receiving anti-retroviral treatment. Vertical transmission is low, and a legal framework for testing all pregnant women exists. While comprehensive knowledge about HIV is low, awareness is very high and the use of condoms is increasing, especially for single men among whom the use tripled between 1999 and 2004 to reach 42% with even higher levels (at 64%) among 15-24 year olds. The most significant group of HIV infected people is the some 7,000 children and youth, who were infected by HIV at birth in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the largest such group Europe. These children are now reaching adulthood and need the corresponding life skills. In parallel the large group also constitutes a unique opportunity for an active participation in fighting stigma and discrimination. Discrimination prevails and the 2004 Reproductive Health Survey found that over 20% of women and over 30% of men would deny an HIV-positive student school attendance with even higher levels in rural areas.
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