Education may reduce HIV pandemic

A module on HIV/AIDS should be included in all courses at tertiary institutions to address the HIV/Aids pandemic in the country, the SA AIDS conference heard on Thursday (20 June).

"If all graduates are knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS they will transform their communities and places of work," medical doctor Ramneek Ahluwulia told delegates in Durban.

He said any pandemic was minimal in countries such as Europe and the United States because of a strong education system.

"When tertiary education is weak then the pandemic is intense and stronger. Africa is a prime example of that," Ahluwulia said.

He said just 16% of school-leavers in the country studied at tertiary institutions and by increasing the number of students who get a tertiary education was one of the solutions to the HIV/Aids pandemic.

A study done in 2009/10 by the Higher Education AIDS programme found that 41% of students changed partners in a year. Within a month 18% of students changed partners and seven percent of students were involved in transactional sex. the study was conducted among 25 000 students at tertiary institutions in the country.

Ahluwulia said condom usage was low at tertiary institutions and the HIV/Aids prevalence rate was 3.5%.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge