Communicating HIV prevention messages in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of commercial sex workers. Lessons learned
Blair, C.
Journal of Development Communication 1(8): 58-63
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0128-3863 PMID: 12348058 Document Number: 269106
9 million of the estimated 14 million HIV infections worldwide are in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 75% of HIV cases in sub-Saharan Africa are transmitted through heterosexual sex and the male-to-female infection ratio is approximately one to one. In many African countries, a considerable proportion of married men live away from their wives due to the need to either migrate or continually travel for employment. Examples include miners residing in camps near their workplace and long-distance truck drivers. While away from home, some of these men have sex with commercial sex workers. The limited economic opportunities for women in rural and urban areas have created a large underclass of women willing to prostitute themselves for survival. These economic, cultural, and geographic circumstances mean that many men have sex with a relatively small pool of women, core transmitters of HIV. Once infected, men infect their wives, thereby propagating the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The role of information, education, and communication, and lessons learned from intervention programs are explored.