[afro-nets] AIDS Control in Companies in Africa... (3)

General afro-nets
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AIDS Control in Companies in Africa... (3)
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The chain of HIV transmission can be quite complex. For preven-
tative interventions to be effective and prompt in generating
longer lasting impacts, we must identify those critical nodes on
the chain that we must break. Providing for the workforce alone
is no longer considered effective enough. Our experience in
workplace HIV/AIDS shows that workers constantly interact sexu-
ally with communities - close to and far from the worksite.
Money and influence could be a strong factor in these relations.
In one study, we found that at least 60% of the workers in one
company with a relatively good workplace intervention interacted
sexually with "sex workers" in the neighbouring communities,
among whom we found the HIV prevalence to exceed 46%. Worse
still, most such interactions involved no condom use. Some of
the workers indeed admitted similar sexual interactions while
away from work - on holidays etc.

While employers have a responsibility to their workers, they
also need to look more widely beyond the workforce. At the same
time, it is not fair to expect employers to take responsibility
for entire communities. But there are many other players - gov-
ernment and nongovernmental - that employers could partner with
to address the wider community and in the process leverage re-
sources. Presently, this is only happening to a very small
scale. It has to be enhanced.

Daraus Bukenya
African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
mailto:DarausB@amrefhq.org

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AIDS Control in Companies in Africa... (4)
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I absolutely agree with the points highlighted in former mes-
sages. A friend of mine used to telling me that the best way to
prevent the HIV/AIDS infection is to stay at home and "eat" what
is from home. That seems to be true, but companies, particularly
mine factories have some characteristics contributing to make
the work site a dangerous node on the HIV transmission chain:

1. Mine factories are generally located in an isolated area with
a considerable concentration or people.

2. The manpower is essentially made up of male workers.

3. A lot of workers are migrants from one country to another for
technical assistance or from other areas to the work site in the
same country.

4. In Africa, mine companies workers are well-paid in comparison
to the average level of salaries in other fields and they are
"rich" compared with the communities close to the company work
site.

As a result, such site is very attractive for sexual workers who
move into areas not far from the work site. In addition to that
fact, most of girls in communities around prefer to elect their
friends among mine workers supposed to be rich. All these fac-
tors mentioned contribute to spread HIV and other sexual trans-
missible infections (STI). The main question is: What can be
done to break the transmission chain of HIV and other STI in
companies in Africa? I'd like to propose 3 or 4 points:

1. To make employers aware of the seriousness of the issue and
persuade them to create a special fund in every company for HIV
preventing actions.

2. To makes workers aware of everything about the transmission,
the prevention and the outcome of AIDS disease.

3. To sensitize the populations close to every work site about
the transmission , the prevention and the consequence of AIDS in
their communities.

4. To take charge of treatments of infected workers with part of
the created fund. NGO and Governemental Organisations can give
help to support sensitization actions mentioned above.

I apologize for my writing English (being a francophone).

Sincerely

Boubou Coulibaly
Pharmacien
BP:7087 Bamako, Mali
mailto:boubou@afribone.net.ml