Malawi 2015-16

Patterns by background characteristics and sexual risk behaviour
• Among young women, HIV prevalence increases with age, from 3% among women age 15-17 to 9.6%
among women age 23-24. Among young men, HIV prevalence increases slightly from 0.7% among
men age 15-17 to 2% among men age 23-24.
• Young women who are divorced, separated, or widowed have a higher HIV prevalence than their
currently married and never-married counterparts (10% versus 4.7% and 4.4%, respectively).
• For the 15-49 age group, HIV prevalence is higher among young women age 15-24 in urban areas
(9.1%) compared with young women in rural areas (3.9%). Similarly, HIV prevalence in the Southern
region (6.3%) is higher than in Central (3.9%) and Northern (2.4%) regions.
14.2.4 HIV Prevalence by Other Characteristics Related to HIV Risk
• As shown in Table 14.9, there was a higher HIV prevalence of women and men who reported having a
sexually transmitted infection (STI) or symptoms of an STI in the past 12 months compared with those
who did not (14.8% versus 9%).
• HIV prevalence is 6.8% among men age 15-49 who have been circumcised (traditional and medical)
and 6.3% among men who have not been circumcised (Table 14.11).
• HIV prevalence is twice as high among men who say that they were circumcised by a traditional
practitioner, family member, or friend compared with men who reported that they were circumcised by
a health worker or health professional (8.3% versus 3.7%).
• Among HIV positive women and men, 88.9% reported having ever been tested for HIV and received
the result of their most recent test. Thirty-nine percent of HIV positive women and men were tested for
HIV and received the result in the past 12 months, and 50.3% were tested more than 12 months ago.
Only 1.8% of HIV positive women and men had been tested for HIV but did not receive the result of
their most recent test, and 9.3% have never been tested for HIV (Table 14.10).
14.2.5 HIV Prevalence among Couples
Figure 14.6 HIV prevalence in couples
Of the cohabitating couples interviewed in the 2015-
16 MDHS, 14% of couples are HIV affected, which
means that one or both members are HIV positive.
This includes 5.6% of couples, who are both HIV
positive, 4.5% of couples in which the man is HIV
positive and the woman is HIV negative, and 3.9%
of couples, in which the woman is HIV positive and
the man is HIV negative (Figure 14.6).
Percent distribution of couples by HIV
status
Both HIV
negative
86.0%
Both HIV
positive
5.6%
Man HIV
positive,
woman HIV
negative
4.5%
Woman
HIV
positive,
man HIV
negative
3.9%
HIV Prevalence • 233