Zimbabwe Watch: AIDS rate declines

A preliminary UN report shows that HIV infection rates have actually been on the decline in Zimbabwe over the last five years.

According to a UNAIDS review, the prevalence rate among pregnant women has decreased from 24.6% to 21.3% between 2002 and 2004.

The review attributes its conclusions to growing awareness of the disease and condom use.

While UNAIDS sees the evidence of decline as encouraging, it also stresses that this is not the time to be complacent. HIV rates in Zimbabwe are still among the highest in the world and the rates can rise again if underlying vulnerabilities are not addressed accurately. Such vulnerabilities include gender inequity, poverty and population mobility.