Safety for tourists against AIDS exposure

Southern Africa's Tourism Services Association (SATSA) has announced plans to provide medical assistance and counselling to foreign and local tourists visiting South Africa in the event of HIV/AIDS exposure. According to SATSA president Mike Speed, the services will be provided by Calibre Clinical Consultants, the country's leading AIDS management firm, in the event of muggings, sexual assault and accidents. The cover is a first for the tourism industry in South Africa, which has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world. A local newspaper, Business Day, quoted Speed as saying: "It is important for the tourism and hospitality industry to realise the short-, medium- and long-term consequences that the pandemic holds for society, and that one cannot rely on external support or government programmes alone."