Older People Missing Out on HIV/AIDS Indicators  

Walta Info 

September 18, 2008

Ethiopia

Older people face discrimination in HIV services due to widely held misconceptions, the leading global action on ageing HelpAge International (HAI) indicated. 

HelpAge International Ethiopia Program Director, Lizzie Nkosi said that older people miss out on HIV/AIDS indicators because of widely held misconceptions about their sexuality and other misleading statistical computations. 

The collation of HIV prevalence data for the age group 15—49 reinforce wrong beliefs that HIV affects only young people, according to the Country Director. She said the dominant risk factor, heterosexual sex, among the 15—49 age group is the same for the 50+ age group. Specific risk behaviors such as unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, intergenerational sex, sexually transmitted infections and substance abuse are also present in the 50+ age group, she added. 

The Country Director indicated that older people suffer from the brunt of the consequences of HIV/AIDS; caring for the sick and the young. She said 60 per cent of orphans and vulnerable children are being looked after by old people, according to a recent survey of 20 countries in Africa including Ethiopia. 

The country Director underlined that older women and men can be at high risk of HIV infection as they are not covered by public information campaigns and therefore do not benefit from education on how to protect themselves. 

HelpAge International Ethiopia Office is undertaking a broad array of activities in collaboration with some 27 older people grass root organizations on the improvement of basic service delivery and development of social protection schemes, the Country Director indicated. 

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Elderly and Pensioners National Association (EEPNA) disclosed that the International Day of old people will be colorfully celebrated on the first of October 2008. 

EEPNA Vice President, Tilahun Abebe, said that the occasion will be used to target relevant Ministers and Head of State with a view to push the government to include older people in poverty reduction programs, to improve access to basic services and also to implement non-contributory pension schemes. 

Some 150 senior citizens, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, care for tree seedlings today at the Dire Dam to symbolize that they are the forerunners in care-giving and of course, to show that they can really work.

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