Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa

University AIDS rates higher than expected

    JOHANNESBURG

    The Association of African Universities (AAU) has called for the institutionalisation of HIV/AIDS awareness programmes at tertiary levels.

    This follows recent reports that prevalence rates in institutions of higher learning had risen to alarming proportions.

    AAU coordinator, Alice Sena Lamptey, said contrary to the belief that HIV/AIDS infection rates were lower among the educated, research indicates that it is on the rise.

    The Ugandan newspaper, New Vision, quoted Lamptey as saying: "We have received 67 proposals on HIV/AIDS from various institutions of higher education and in all cases the prevalence rate seems to be higher than the [respective country's] national average."

    The AAU said that with support from the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), it had managed to fund six of the proposals and develop an HIV/AIDS toolkit for 172 of its member universities.

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join