HIV/AIDS organizations worry that sex tourism and prostitution could lead to a surge of new infections during the upcoming Euro 2012 soccer tournament, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. Ukraine, one of the tournament’s two host nations, has the highest HIV incidence in Eastern Europe, with sex as the primary route of transmission. Out of 46 million citizens, 350,000 people ages 15 and up are living with HIV. There are an estimated 52,000 to 83,000 sex workers in Ukraine, and they’re among the most heavily affected populations. A 2011 study showed that 24 percent of sex workers in the capital of Kiev and 38 percent in the city of Donetsk—both Euro 2012 venues—are HIV positive. The study also found that only 60 percent of sex workers in Kiev ruled out the possibility of unprotected sex, while a 2010 survey indicated that 22 percent would have sex without a condom in exchange for more money. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Europe’s governing body for soccer, has launched an awareness campaign urging fans to use condoms.
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