Fishing activities has fuelled the spread of HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted infections among communities living around Lake Victoria.
The situation has been compounded by cultural practices, especially wife inheritance, experts meeting in Kisumu, Kenya observed last week.
The prevalence is higher along the beaches and among females, according to findings of surveys made in the area.
The regional meeting on HIV/Aids was also told that a barter trade revolving on 'fish for sex' was also rampant in the area, especially on the eastern and northeastern shores of the lake.
Long distance truck drivers who normally spend days along the beach, have also contributed to the problem.
The four-day meeting, hosted by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, brought together members of the East African Community regional inter-parliamentary forum on Health, Population and Development, among other officials.
EAC deputy secretary general in charge of Productive and Social Sectors Mr. Jean Claude Nsengiyumva said when closing the meeting that the war against HIV/Aids can only be achieved through a coordinated and harmonised effort among and within all the stakeholders.
He revealed that EAC has launched a four-year Regional Multisectoral HIV/Aids Strategic Plan 2008-2012 aimed at combating the menace, which continues to claim many lives in the region.
The region was also in the process of harmonising efforts of various multi-sectoral, regional and international organizations that are currently involved in HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention, control, treatment, and care among mobile population and communities residing along major road and maritime cross-border transport corridors within the EAC.
He said the harmonisation process would create a robust structure to deal with the pandemic in the region, according to a statement issued by EAC secretariat yesterday.
The Provincial Commissioner of Nyanza Province, Mr. Paul Olando said the issue of HIV/ Aids was a big concern in the area and that the Kenyan Government was working on various programmes to address the pandemic
Representatives from development partners, regional business associations, civil society organizations, faith-based and non-government organizations, National Aids Commissions and Councils, public health, gender, transport, trade and immigration officials also attended.
Delegates were informed that HIV prevalence in Kisumu area alone ranged between 11 to 64 per cent depending on the age group.
During the field visit to the Kenya-Uganda cross-border control posts in Busia Town, the delegates interacted with representatives of the commercial sex workers, clearing and forwarding agents, long distance truck drivers, AIDS victims and district Government officials.
The sex workers complained of their rights being abused by their clients and also requested Police authorities not to criminalise them.
The clearing and forwarding agents requested other EAC partner states to implement 24-hour operations as is the case in Kenya and reduce the number of weigh bridges along the transport corridors as these are likely to decrease the number of hours/or days the agents, truck drivers and their turn boys take at the border posts/or on the routes.
Truck drivers urged the Governments in the region to institute a harmonised HIV/Aids work policy in the transport industry to address their concerns.
The HIV/Aids Technical Specialist at the LVBC Secretariat, Dr. Doreen Othero said: "We managed to bring together organisations working in HIV/Aids along transport corridors to share information, improve coordination and build synergy among the various programmes so as to have maximum impact on the corridors’ most at risk populations."
She disclosed that there were over 4 million people living with HIV/Aids and over 3.5 million orphans and vulnerable children in the EAC partner states.
