World Cup may increase HIV/AIDS: Minister

Agencies | Updated: 2009-08-01 02:24

JOHANNESBURG: HIV/AIDS infection rates may increase when South Africa hosts the 2010 World Cup, the country's health minister said on Friday.

"2010 is going to come with good things but it may also come with dangerous things," SAPA news agency quoted Aaron Motsoaledi as saying after a meeting of the mational AIDS council.

"Of course the concern is: what will be the effect of 2010, which everybody is waiting for? Are we going to find the rate of infection accelerating because of 2010?"

South Africa, with some 5.7 million people infected with HIV, represents the world's largest AIDS epidemic.

An estimated 500,000 people are infected each year and around 1,000 die every day from AIDS-related illnesses.

The government hopes the soccer tournament, the world's most popular sporting event, will attract a flood of tourists.

"I mean, we will be having lots of visitors here... we know there will be lots of visitors who come here for sex, you can't hide that. It happens and what will be the effects on this country?," said Motsoaledi.

South African officials have promised to make the streets safe before the World Cup. The country has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world.

(Reporting by Michael Georgy; editing by Robert Woodward)