Trading places: Uganda's risky businessmen
Sebunya, C.
Aids Analysis Africa 8(1): 14
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 1016-8974 PMID: 12293286 Document Number: 271968
The World Bank is concerned that more than 300 prominent businesspeople in Uganda are infected with HIV. A recent study conducted by 5 local and foreign researchers found high levels of sexual behavior with casual partners among a sample of 51 urban and rural businessmen in the country. Each man kept a log of his business travels and a diary detailing his sexual behavior over the course of 26 weeks. Data on 2147 trips were collected, of which 2047 were return trips and 49 involved an overnight stay. A total of 1337 sexual contacts was made during the study period, giving each participant an average of 2.3 sex contacts per week. No significant difference was observed between urban and rural dwellers. Only 14 men, however, were responsible for 82% of the casual contacts. Each of these men had 11 or more partners in 16 weeks and would have 20-40 partners per year if their reported behavior is typical of them. These findings confirm that Uganda's business community is at particular risk of contracting and spreading HIV.