Researchers Call on African Governments to Implement Polices, Strengthen Health Infrastructures to Improve Fight Against HIV/AIDS

More than 500 experts attending the fourth African Conference on Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS in Kisumu, Kenya, on Tuesday called on African governments to strengthen their health infrastructures to bolster the fight against the disease, the East African Standard/AllAfrica.com reports. Attendees at the four-day conference said that poverty continues to hinder efforts aimed at curbing the spread of HIV. They also called on governments to implement HIV/AIDS policies and recommendations from various studies on how to address issues surrounding the disease.

Richard Muga of Kenya's National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development said health care systems in many African countries are too weak to effectively fight HIV/AIDS. He also said that "Africans' sexual orientation remains a major issue in the fight against AIDS," adding that governments also need to "ensure that health structures are strong." Mareme Kaire, president of the Rural Association Against HIV/AIDS in Senegal, said her country has included men who have sex with men in prevention and education programs. "The National HIV/AIDS Control Programme in Senegal has involved all groups, including homosexuals," Kaire said (Ayodo, East African Standard/AllAfrica.com, 5/1).

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