Zambian HIV infections increase

There has been an increase in new HIV infections in Zambia.

Latest figures show a rise from 70,000 to 82,000 cases from 2007 to this year, the Zambia Daily Mail reported.

Bishop Banda, chair of the National Aids Council (NAC), told the newspaper that religious organisations should work harder to get the message of taking preventative measures to safeguard themselves against HIV across.

He said: "What is more worrying about this data is that even those who are faithful to their partners are getting infected and so, this is a wake-up call for all of us to do something to avoid the spread of the pandemic."

The bishop added that the NAC will be looking to gain more of a presence in urban and rural areas to stop young people from becoming infected with HIV.

Last week, Rachael King, information and campaigns assistant at AVERT, said that grater access to treatment for HIV was helping the fight against the disease.

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