IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 273
Africa
3 March 2006


NEWS:

NAMIBIA: Ships, Trucks, Clubs and HIV/AIDS
SOUTH AFRICA: More research needed into public sector AIDS impact -
   Mbeki
SOUTH AFRICA: Decriminalisation of sex-work sought as anti-AIDS
   mechanism
CAMEROON: Kribi, a small paradise for tourists and AIDS


EVENTS

1. JOURN-AIDS website re-launch

JOBS

1. HIV/AIDS Journalist - IRIN PlusNews



NEWS:

NAMIBIA: Ships, Trucks, Clubs and HIV/AIDS

After spending months at sea or cooped up in a truck for several days, 
young men working far away from home, arrive in the port city of Walvis 
Bay with money to burn, helping to fuel HIV infection.

Strategically located half way down the coast of Namibia, with direct 
access to principal shipping routes, the deep-sea port of Walvis Bay is 
dominated by the fishing industry. Commercial fishing and fish 
processing is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Namibian 
economy.

The Trans-Caprivi and Trans-Kalahari highways link Botswana, South 
Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe - countries with HIV infection rates that 
are among the world's highest - to Walvis Bay.

Inevitably, this highly mobile environment has made fishermen and truck 
drivers particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Relatively well paid, these 
two population groups are at the centre of the commercial sex industry 
in the port city, which has an HIV prevalence rate of between 25 and 30 
percent.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5736


SOUTH AFRICA: More research needed into public sector AIDS impact - 
Mbeki

South African AIDS activists have lashed out against the "denialist" 
manner in which President Thabo Mbeki has chosen to deal with his 
country's pandemic.

In a recent interview with local media, the President maintained that 
the public service was not facing an HIV/AIDS crisis, despite recent 
research by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) proving 
otherwise.

Mark Heywood, head of the AIDS Law Project, told PlusNews it was not 
uncommon for the president to play down the true extent of the pandemic.

More details:

SOUTH AFRICA: Decriminalisation of sex-work sought as anti-AIDS 
mechanism

South African AIDS and rights activists on Friday urged that commercial 
sex-work be decriminalised as a means of preventing the spread of HIV 
among pliers of the trade.

The call comes as 'International Sex Worker Rights Day' was observed for 
the first time 3 March in the city of Cape Town.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5737


CAMEROON: Kribi, a small paradise for tourists and AIDS

The inhabitants of Kribi, a well-known sea resort on the Gulf of Guinea, 
were hoping that an oil terminal linking Chad to Cameroon would solve 
all their problems of unemployment, poverty and isolation. But three 
years after construction began, little has changed.

Between June 2001 and July 2003, with the financial support of the World 
Bank, 1,070 km of pipeline was built linking the oil fields of Doba in 
southern Chad to the oil tankers stationed outside the bay of Kribi. The 
sea terminal, with a capacity to handle 225,000 barrels of oil per day, 
was inaugurated in October 2003.

The economic boom experienced by Kribi has, however, heightened the 
HIV/AIDS risk.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=5742



EVENTS:

1. South Africa's leading HIV/AIDS journalism website, JournAIDS, is 
re-launching this week with new and updated fact sheets and a number of 
exciting new features for journalists working in Southern Africa.

Developed by the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project, the website, which is 
free to all, draws from thousands of pages of academic and medical 
research, government reports and world-class journalism to provide 
concise, regionally relevant information about HIV/AIDS.

The site, accessible through tabs off the country's leading journalism 
portal, www.journalism.co.za, sports a new interface and a cleaner 
design - enabling journalists and researchers to get to the data and 
support they need, faster.

New fact sheets

Topping the list of updates are four new fact sheets: Politics of 
HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS Funding, Myths and Misconceptions and an HIV/AIDS 
Journalism showcase.

Updated content

The 11 original fact sheets - including topics like prevention, 
treatment, statistics, gender, ethics and reporting tips - have been 
overhauled in line with the latest available research and reports. 
Additions to information include a brand new section on microbicides, a 
review of projections and survey results from the ASSA2003 model and 
South African National HIV Prevalence Incidence Behaviour and 
Communication Survey, 2005 respectively, and updates on the home rapid 
testing and HIV/AIDS nutrition debates.

Visit JournAIDS via www.journalism.co.za



JOBS:

1. HIV/AIDS Journalist/Information Officer

Under the direction of the IRIN PlusNews Editor, the PlusNews 
Information Officer will implement IRIN's project to promote dialogue on 
HIV and AIDS in Africa through the provision of timely, relevant and 
accessible news and information.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Writing original news reports, features, analysis and briefing papers 
on HIV/AIDS in countries of the SADC region, and processing raw copy 
written by locally-based correspondents;

- Advising the PlusNews Editor on reporting priorities, helping to 
identify key stories of interest to the IRIN readership;

- Travel to countries in the region on coverage assignments and to 
identify and support locally-based correspondents;

- Close liaison with UN agencies, NGOs, international organisations and 
other relevant entities, including donors and media, to improve the 
coverage of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa.


REQUIREMENTS:

- Advanced university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in a 
relevant field. A first level university degree with a relevant 
combination of academic qualifications and experience in journalism, 
media or humanitarian affairs may be accepted in lieu of the advanced 
university degree;

- At least five years journalism experience, with a portfolio of 
published work on HIV/AIDS;

- A working knowledge of the key issues around HIV/AIDS in the SADC 
region;

- Fluency in English, knowledge of French an advantage


Send CV and covering letter to the following email address: 
Priya@irinnews.org. The closing date for applications is 10 March, 2006. 
Short listed candidates will be contacted for interview

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 895-1900
Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za


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