Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  • News

HIV prevention strategy for deployed UK troops

    JOHANNESBURG

    British soldiers deployed on training exercises in Africa are being issued with free condoms amid mounting fears of rising HIV/AIDS rates among the troops.

    The latest prevention measure was instituted after hundreds of soldiers in Kenya and South Africa were found to be ignoring the standard 'no sex' order.

    According to Reuters, senior army officials were also urging troops who had visited brothels or had sex with local women to immediately test for HIV as well as hepatitis B on their return to the UK.

    Although no official figures have been released on the number of HIV-positive British troops, up to 3,000 are deployed annually to Kenya and South Africa.

    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