Namibia’s New Era Examines Increased Risk of HIV Among Fishermen

Namibia's New Era on Tuesday examined increased risk of HIV among fishermen in the country. According to New Era, fishermen are among those most vulnerable to HIV in the country, and HIV prevalence among the group has been increasing. According to New Era, heterosexual sex is the main HIV transmission route in Namibia, where an estimated 230,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS. Increased development in harbor towns has increased the number of commercial sex workers and could be fueling the spread of HIV among fishermen, New Era repots.

New Era interviewed several fishermen in the country, finding that inconsistent condom use and infidelity among fishermen and their partners could be contributing to the spread of the epidemic. Richard Mbaha, a fishermen, encourages fishermen and their partners to undergo regular HIV testing to help address the issue. Another fisherman, Sledge Kauapirura, encourages fishermen and their partners to always use condoms to stop the spread of the virus (Tjatindi, New Era, 4/29).