Date: Tue, 20 Dec 94 06:45:37 +0100
Subject: PROSTITUTION BOOM BOOSTS AIDS RISK IN ZAIRE

Reuters 12/19/94:

      An increasing number of women in Zaire are turning to casual
      prostitution, thus providing a breeding ground for AIDS.  Because
      Zaire's recession is leaving many men without work and because an
      8,500 percent annual inflation rate is undermining living standards,
      women of all ages have become prostitutes. Researchers estimate that
      7 percent to 8 percent of the general population and as much as 40
      percent of prostitutes in Zaire are now HIV-infected.   In a sample
      group of 1,000 prostitutes tested over a period of 30 months, 27
      percent who were HIV-negative at the beginning of the study had
      become infected by the end. Doctors blame ignorance about HIV and
      AIDS on a cultural reluctance to speak openly of sex and on the lack
      of media coverage.