The Zimbabwean government on Tuesday launched an HIV and AIDS policy for the transport sector.

Unveiling the policy, the Ministry of Transport and Communications Permanent Secretary for Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, Lancaster Museka said the policy aims at guiding and directing the processes of dealing with HIV/AIDS at all levels in the transport sector.

"The employees, in consultation with their representatives should actively participate and make an input into sector and workplace policy formulation," Museka said.

The policy, he said, provides the framework in which employees, employers and their representatives should formulate their own policies in managing the pandemic.

He said by evaluating, monitoring and designing practical and proactive programs at their workplaces, employers would be able to develop strategies and respond to the economic impact of the pandemic.

Acting secretary for Transport and Communications, Engineer Nelson Kudenga said the ministry was delighted to have come first in coming up with the policy since the 2004 National AIDS Conference.

Current estimates show the prevalence rate of AIDS at 24.6 percent for adults between the ages of 15 and 49, while over 2.3 million people are believed to be living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.

Source: Xinhua