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Experts concerned over looming impact of AIDS on IT sector

    JOHANNESBURG

    Experts have expressed concern over the possible effects of HIV/AIDS on Southern Africa's information technology (IT) industry, according to ITWEB, a South African-based technology news service.

    Prof Alan Whiteside of the University of KwaZulu-Natal told the Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2005 in Cape Town on Tuesday that defining the direct impact of AIDS on the sector would be complex, but it could be similar to the effects experienced by other industries in the region.

    Whiteside, the director of the university's health economics and HIV/AIDS research division, highlighted prevention, care and treatment as the three key challenges facing the industry.

    He warned that although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS did not seem to be harming foreign investment in IT, this could change if a country appeared not to be dealing with the issue.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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