WHO NEWS

Unsafe sex is the main mode of HIV transmission

An expert group reconfirmed on 14 March that unsafe sexual practices are responsible for the vast majority of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Promotion of safer sex must remain the primary feature of prevention programmes in the region, the group said. They reviewed the whole body of evidence available, including some recent articles arguing that unsafe medical practices were the main mode of transmission (see p. 307). They concluded that the vast majority of the data point to the far greater role of unsafe sex.

Having made this point, the group also stressed the urgent importance of safe and appropriate use of injections. Of the 16 billion injections given globally each year, 30% are thought to be unsafe owing to reuse of equipment.