Ethiopia to import AIDS drugs for first time

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health announced Monday that for the first time since the discovery of HIV in the country, it has authorized the importation of antiretroviral medications to fight the disease, Reuters reports.

The ministry said in a statement that it has drafted a “detailed list of designated antiretroviral drugs” as a “guide” for importers and called on firms to import “affordable medicines.” The country, which has 2.6 million residents with AIDS, has “relied” on public awareness campaigns to curb transmission.

An estimated 300,000 of the country’s 60 million residents died of AIDS-related complications in 1999. In total number of HIV/AIDS cases, Ethiopia ranks third in sub-Saharan Africa behind South Africa and Nigeria