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HIV/Aids prevalence in prisons on the high side
2008-07-22 09:59:18
By Guardian Reporter, Dodoma
A study conducted in a number of prisons in Tanzania shows a 9.2 per cent incidence of HIV infections and full-blown Aids among inmates, the National Assembly heard yesterday.
The national HIV/Aids prevalence rate is officially given as around 7 per cent.
Home Affairs deputy minister Khamis Kagasheki unveiled the results of the study in the House when responding to a question by Konde legislator Ali Tarab Ali (CUF), who had wanted to know if congestion in prisons did not fuel HIV infections or the spread of Aids.
``Following a sensitisation campaign by the Prisons Department on the importance of voluntary HIV/Aids testing, a total of 3,556 inmates were screened in 2006, with 327 or 9.2 per cent of those screened testing positive,`` he said.
However, the deputy minister explained that it was not easy to know the exact number of prisoners living with HIV/Aids because the study involved only a small number of inmates.
He said congestion in prisons did not fuel HIV infections or the spread of the scourge because the government has been sensitising both inmates and Prisons staff through educational campaigns on the importance of keeping themselves safe.
According to Kagasheki, the government executed the campaigns through various media outlets, including radio and television programmes, arts, drama and leaflets designed to reach as many of the people targeted as possible.
He said, as human beings, inmates had basic rights just like other members of society, adding: ``They get all the rights they deserve, including information and education on HIV infections and ways through which Aids spreads as well as how to safeguard themselves.``
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