Sri Lanka’s Response to an Emerging HIV/AIDS Epidemic

Abstract

The island of Sri Lanka, situated off the southern coast of India, has a total area of 65,610 square kilometers, of which approximately 62,705 square kilometers is land and 2905 square kilometers is water. In 2001, the population was 18 7 million, with a composition of 74% Sinhalese, 18% Tamils (including those of recent Indian origin residing mainly in the plantation districts), and 7% Muslims; the remaining 1% of the population are members of other ethnic groups (Department of Census and Statistics, 2003). Intensive family planning programs implemented by both the government and non-governmental organizations from the 1950s, when the population growth rate was 2.8%, caused a significant decline in the growth rate, reducing it to a current rate of 1.1%. The population of Sri Lanka is expected to stabilize by about 2025 at about 23 million Recent years have seen a change in the population structure with a reduction in the child population, an increase in the adolescent and economically active population, and a gradual increase in the elderly population. In addition, there has been a decline in the male to female sex ratio from 103:100 in 1981 to 98:100 in 2001 (Department of Health Services Sri Lanka, 2002). These changes are likely to affect the patterns of disease in future years and consequently the health care needs of the country.