Swaziland — HIV/Aids infection rates in the small landlocked kingdom of Swaziland have leapt from 3,6 percent in 1992 to over 31,6 percent, the country's national Aids programme announced on Monday.

The Swaziland National Aids Programme (SNAP) warned that the figures are, however, probably understated because women are still contracting the fatal pandemic twice as fast as men but are often too poor or rural to seek proper care.

SNAP's latest report on the pandemic in Swaziland are based on government approved statistics from ante-natal clinics.

The report, released on Monday, confirms that 31,6 percent of women attending ante-natal clinics tested HIV-positive in 1998, up from 3.6 percent six years earlier.

The rate of HIV-infection puts Swaziland, a country of under one million people, among the five countries with the highest levels of HIV-infection in the world.

Government records indicate there are currently 2 913 women with fully-blown Aids in the country, compared to only 2 696 males.

The report said the rate of infection among expectant mothers was especially worrying as most them were relatively young.

It said the gender disparity in HIV-infection peaked between the ages of 20 to 29, when the number of females with HIV/Aids was double that of males.

There report also noted a significant rise in the rate of HIV-infection among children aged between five to 14 years. The report said 14 percent of males in the age group were HIV-positive, compared to 27 percent of females.

The report blamed the trend on mother-to-child transmission of HIV, children sexual abuse, and domestic violence.

It added that the rate of HIV-infection in the country was understated, as many women did not go for ante natal check-ups.

It said women were more vulnerable to HIV-infection than males during unprotected vaginal intercourse.

Unprotected sex remains the norm in Swaziland, where it is widely referred to as 'godly'.

The fact that women often had a lower social status than males, and were more likely to be victims of domestic violence, made them particularly vulnerable to HIV-infection.

The report called for the development of community programmes highlighting female's special vulnerability to HIV-infection.

It also proposed the enactment of legislation to protect women from violence.