70 per cent of sex workers in Johannesburg are HIV positive the DA said in a statement.
“The finding that 70 per cent of Johannesburg sex workers are HIV positive is immensely disturbing. Johannesburg sex workers have a higher infection rate than Durban’s 53 percent and Cape Town’s almost 40 percent,” said Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health.
Bloom continued, “This is according to a study by the US Centres for Disease Control in partnership with University of California, the Anova Health Institute and the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute.
While we are having good success in treatment for HIV/AIDS, we are failing dismally with prevention. Part of the reason is because high risk groups such as sex workers are not taking sufficient preventative measures.
“The Gauteng Health Department should urgently look into providing the HIV prevention drug, Truvada, to sex workers and other high risk groups. More education is also needed on consistent use of condoms by both males and females.”
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