Al Jazeera: Tanzania: Fighting social stigma to prevent HIV spread
“…Tanzania has the fourth-highest number of deaths from AIDS in the world, and the HIV infection rate among gay men is more than four times the national average – numbers even the most homophobic of governments have been hard-pressed to ignore. … While gay men are rarely, if ever, prosecuted under the law in Tanzania, the social stigma it perpetuates can be deadly. … The government had no comprehensive plan for addressing the fact that groups most at risk for contracting HIV, including gay men, were often the least likely to receive services. … Tanzania’s efforts [to address HIV/AIDS among gay men] are beginning to bear fruit. In 2013, TACAIDS, the government organization that coordinates Tanzania’s HIV/AIDS response, included men who have sex with men in its national HIV strategy…” (Higgins, 11/1).