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The Official Mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. HIV/AIDS infection rates may increase when South Africa hosts the 2010 World Cup, the country\'s health minister said on Friday.

HIV/AIDS infection rates may increase when South Africa hosts the 2010 World Cup, the country's health minister said on Friday.

"2010 is going to come with good things but it may also come with dangerous things," SAPA news agency quoted Aaron Motsoaledi as saying after a meeting of the national AIDS council.

"Of course the concern is: what will be the effect of 2010, which everybody is waiting for? Are we going to find the rate of infection accelerating because of 2010?"

South Africa, with some 5.7 million people infected with HIV, represents the world's largest AIDS epidemic².

An estimated 500,000 people are infected each year and around 1,000 die every day from AIDS-related illnesses.

The government hopes the soccer tournament, the world's most popular sporting event, will attract a flood of tourists.

"I mean, we will be having lots of visitors here... we know there will be lots of visitors who come here for sex, you can't hide that. It happens and what will be the effects on this country?," said Motsoaledi.

South African officials have promised to make the streets safe before the World Cup. The country has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world.

南非卫生部长于上周五称，在举办2010年世界杯期间，该国艾滋病感染率可能会上升。

据南非新闻联盟通讯社报道，亚伦•莫特索亚雷迪在参加全国艾滋病理事会的一次会议后说：“2010年世界杯会给我们带来机遇，但危险也随之而来。”

“当然人们会关心：2010年会给南非带来什么样的影响？等待我们的将是什么？举办2010年世界杯会导致（艾滋病）感染率加速上升吗？

南非的艾滋病感染率居全球之首，约有570万人身染艾滋病。

据估计，南非每年新增50万例艾滋患者，每天约有1000人死于艾滋病引发的疾病。

世界杯是全球最受欢迎的体育赛事南非政府希望世界杯会吸引大批游客前来。

莫特索亚雷迪说：“我是说，会有很多游客来南非……我们很清楚，有很多游客要来这寻欢作乐，你无法掩盖这一点。情况就是这样，这又将为南非带来什么影响呢？”

南非政府已承诺在世界杯开赛前维护好治安。该国是世界上暴力犯罪率最高的国家之一。

Vocabulary:

a flood of: 一大批，大量的