MOZAMBIQUE: AIDS undermines police efforts

The impact of HIV/AIDS on Mozambique's police force is undermining national efforts to tackle crime, according to a senior government official.

Interior Minister Jose Pacheco said AIDS claimed the lives of at least 1,000 police officers every year and was the second biggest killer in the southern African country.

Pacheco told the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, that police officers had rejected his recent call for compulsory HIV testing, fearing their career prospects could be jeopardised if they tested positive.

An estimated 16 percent of the country's police force is living with the HI virus, the same level of infection as in the general population.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

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