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Article History

Received: 27 February 2026

Accepted: 10 August 2026

First Online: 23 August 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia (Ref. No. 632/2022). The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Additional administrative permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Amhara Public Health Institute and the Network of HIV Positives Association for Health and Development before data collection. Participant confidentiality and privacy were strictly maintained throughout the study. No personal identifiers were collected, and all data were used solely for research purposes. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment and data collection. Participation was voluntary, and participants were informed about the study objectives, procedures, potential risks, and benefits.

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.