GAMBELLA. 1 December 2014. The 26th World AIDS Day was commemorated in Gambella Town on 30 November to mobilize people to know their HIV status and seek treatment services. A total of 3383 people were tested at the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign held in Gambella Stadium in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record on ‘Most people being tested for HIV in single venue for eight hours’. Out of those tested, 82 (2.4%) were positive and linked to health facilities for support and further follow up.

H.E. Gatluak Tut Cot, President of Gambella Peoples National Regional State and Dr. Kesetebirhan Admassu, the Federal Minister of Health, led the historic World AIDS Day commemoration with support from the UN system, USG partners and other stakeholders in the national response. 

Representative of the Ethiopian Parliament, the Network of Networks of HIV Positives in Ethiopia (NEP+), senior government officials and Dr. Pierre M’Pele-Kilebou, WHO Representative to Ethiopia participated in the HCT campaign. 

Although significant progress has been achieved in Ethiopia to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic, “continued efforts by all stakeholders are needed to achieve an AIDS free generation in Ethiopia”, stressed the Minister of Health. Reading the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe's World AIDS Day messages, Dr Warren Naamara, UNAIDS Country Director, urged “all world leaders to unite in our common cause to close the gap and end AIDS together by 2030.” 

Gambella is located in south west Ethiopia with a population of about 400,000 and has the highest HIV prevalence in Ethiopia with 6.5% compared to the national figure of 1.3%, according to Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2011.

Ethiopia is one of the 13 countries that has reached the tipping point with annual number of people initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment exceeding the number of newly infected, resulting in both a 50% decrease in AIDS associated mortality and a 90% reduction in HIV incidence.

World AIDS Day is commemorated every year on 1 December since 1988 to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.

For more information please contact

Rahel Gettu
Country Community Moblization and Networking  Advisor
UNAIDS Ethiopia 
Email: gettur [at] unaids.org 

Viivi Erkkilä
Communications, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Officer
WHO Ethiopia 
Email: erkkilav [at] who.int

Photos: WHO Ethiopia/ V. Erkkilä