HIV/AIDS infection, prevalence rate drops in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, March 6 (Chinese media) -- The rate of HIV/AIDS new infection and

prevalence in Tanzania has dropped to 5.7 percent in 2007/2008 down from 7.0

percent in 2003/2004, according to the latest available figures revealed by the

Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2007/2008.

Tanzanian minister of state in the prime minister's office, Phillip Marmo,

said while launching the report on the survey this week that the decline is a

major success in the fight against the pandemic in the country.

The survey has found that women had recorded a higher prevalence rate of

6.6 percent as against the 4.4 percent posted by men in the country.

The survey, carried out in all the 26 administrative regions of Tanzania,

has found that the island of Pemba in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar

had registered the lowest infection and prevalence rate of 0.3 percent whereas

the southern region of Iringa had the highest rate of 15.7 percent.

The survey was carried out among Tanzanians aged between 15 and 49 years.