This study documents indigenous medicinal plant utilization, management and the threats affecting them. The study was carried out in Mana Angetu district between January 2003 and December 2004. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi structured interviews, field observations, preference and direct matrix ranking with traditional medicine practitioners. The ethnomedicinal use of 230 plant species was documented in the study area. Most of the plants (78.7%) were reportedly used to treat human diseases. The most frequently used plant part were roots (33.9%), followed by leaves (25.6%). Most of the medicinal species (90.4%) were collected from the wild. Direct matrix analysis showed that Olea europaea L. Subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex G. Don) was the most important species followed by Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne (120) indicating high utility value of these species for the local community. The principal threatening factors reported were deforestation (90%), agricultural expansion (85%) and fire (53%). Documenting the eroding plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area.

More than 7 million people speak Amharic as a second language. It has been the working language of government institutions, the military, and of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, whose roots date back to the 5th century of the Common Era if not earlier.

Another international AIDS conference, which overlaps with the one in Sydney.

This important communication approach could also be valuable in the U.S. and elsewhere.

For the past year, Yonas Tadesse has been trying to stave off the effects of HIV with a blend of science and faith _ he takes anti-retroviral medicine but also drinks a liter of holy water, blessed by a priest. The combination has long been a source of controversy in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, where many local leaders believe patients should not take both holy water and medicine. But on Wednesday, Ethiopia's top religious official gave the treatment his blessing in a country where an estimated 1.5 million people are infected with HIV.

Lack of trained people and of pediatric treatment centers -- not lack of money or drugs -- are the major obstacles in treating children in Ethiopia.