INTERNATIONAL Websites are urging travellers to get tested for HIV/Aids if they've been travelling to Africa.
And, of the approximately 35 million cases worldwide, more than 20 million are reported in sub-Saharan Africa.
These are just two of the threats that the disease poses to the inbound tourism and hospitality industry, which experts say, could soon become an even greater threat to tourism than the present perception of the country's rate of crime.
At the Hospitality & Tourism Industries Convention held earlier this week in Sandton, various issues emerged from a panel discussion held with the industry and a number of experts, including a medical doctor, a representative from the National Aids Council (NAC), a board member of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBC) and St John's Ambulance which presents HIV/Aids training programmes to the industry.
TBC board member, Dr Keith Shongwe, highlighted a number of issues affecting the occurrence of Aids within the industry and its possible threat to the industry, including that of misinformation.
Fran Coe from the St John's Ambulance Foundation said she was "disappointed" with the industry's current stance surrounding the issue of addressing the problem of Aids in the workplace.
"I must say that the hospitality and tourism industries are doing a lot more than most other sectors of the economy, but we're still not getting down to a grassroots level of effectively dealing with the situation."
Charles Harbottle, an acting consultant to Fedhealth, said between 20 to 25% of the industry's workforce could die of Aids within the next five years. He also dispelled the myth that Aids is mainly contracted by the lower employment levels.
"Look at it this way, according to our statistics, 22% of the lower labour levels are affected, but up to 18% of those infected are middle managers and executives."
According to Coe, this presents another workplace challenge.
"Managers need counselling too, not only on how to deal with the reality of diagnosis, but on how to deal with prejudice and ignorance. How do you deal with workers who refuse to work with 'so-and-so' because they suspect he/she has Aids?
"How do you deal with a worker who is constantly off sick and you, as a manager, suspect he has Aids but the law prevents you from asking him?"
Medical practitioner, Dr Paul Timp, emphasised that education and awareness is extremely important.
"Furthermore, employers should urge their employees to get tested. Early detection helps a great deal in the treatment of the disease with anti-retroviral drugs."
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, FEDHASA, according to its executive director, Willem Fick, is currently developing a manual on how to deal with Aids in the workplace.
(Adéle Mackenzie)
