HIV infection rate rising in rural areas

 THE lack of knowledge on HIV/AIDS in rural areas is a concern for Business Against HIV-AIDS (BAHA).

Lae based BAHA officer Rodney Mukinere said HIV cases was on the rise in rural areas and was a concern to stakeholders in the fight against the disease, which is largely transmitted through unsafe sexual practice.

“The reason why HIV/AIDS has risen in the rural settings was because there was no education on basic HIV/AIDS information,” Mukinera, who has long been associated with HIV/AIDS advocacy in Morobe, said.

“So much money and resources have been spent for HIV/AIDS awareness in the urban settings and little or none have been disseminated to the rural population,” he said.

“If people know the basic information about HIV/AIDS like how HIV is transmitted and the prevention methods, this could possibly help them in maintaining safe sex practices and avoid getting infected,” Mukinere said.

He said despite the government providing free education and health care, it must consider the absence of vital information among the rural communities as having a free health care “does not determine the HIV infections.”