Bukoba — HIV/Aids infections in Kagera region have dropped from 3.7 per cent to 3.4 last year due to concerted efforts to control the pandemic, the Kagera Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Fabian Massawe said.

He noted that Aids patients taking Anti Retrovirals (ARVs) have increased from 598 in 2005 to 11,256 last year.The RC also said over 25,000 males underwent circumcision last year in efforts to control AIDS.

He said the government was keen to ensure that lives of pregnant women and children were saved through improvement of health service delivery and construction of more dispensaries and health centres.

Mr Massawe disclosed further that maternal death rate dropped from 194 for 100,000 live births in 2005 to 89 deaths per 100,000 live births during last year.

He said the rate of Infant mortality for children aged less than five years dropped from 110 for each 1,000 children during 2005 to eight for 1,000 children in 2012.

He added that a total of 737,695 Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) were distributed to residents in effort to control malaria.

Despite the achievement, Kagera region has a shortage of 1,161 personnel in the health sector. He said the current needed number of medical personnel stands at 2,709 while those available are 1,548.