WASHINGTON: A change in the sexual behavior of young people in Zimbabwe probably caused a sharp decline in HIV infections in the southern African country, according to a study published Friday in the United States.
A reduction in casual sex among experienced men and women, and the delay of others first sexual experiences, drove a steep fall in the rate of infections of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, said the study.
An international team of researchers from Britain, Zimbabwe and South Africa which surveyed the behavior and infection rates of people in eastern Zimbabwe between 1998 and 2003 observed a 49 percent reduction in HIV infections among women aged 15 to 24.
Among men between 17 and 29 years of age, the rate dropped 23 percent.
– A key reason for this decline appears to be the reduction in the number of casual sexual relationships, although there was also a delay in the onset of sexual activity and increases in condom use prior to the time of the study may also have contributed, said researcher Geoffrey Garnett of Imperial College London.
The study is published in the February 3 issue of Science magazine.
Kilde: The Push Journal
