|
"Asians fight AIDS stigma"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(02/12/06)
HANOI: In Thailand, AIDS activists planned to create the world's largest
“condom chain.” In Papua New Guinea, officials took blood tests to encourage
voluntary HIV/AIDS testing.
And in Indonesia, activists walked through the streets of the capital with
their faces wrapped in white sheets, some carrying signs that said “No more
stigma!” and “Stop HIV/ AIDS.”
Nations across Asia celebrated World AIDS day yesterday with events both
serious and lighthearted. They came together one day after former US
President Bill Clinton announced an agreement that would dramatically cut
the price of HIV/AIDS drugs for children worldwide, making medicine more
widely available in countries where hundreds of thousands go without
treatment.
More than eight million people were living with HIV in Asia in 2005, and
roughly 520,000 people died of AIDS across the region, according to the
United Nations.
In Thailand, AIDS activists planned to create the world's “Longest Condom
Chain,” a ribbon of 25,000 condoms intended to raise awareness about the
disease. They were to arrange the condoms side-by-side on a ribbon placed on
the ground, stretching through Bangkok's Lumpini Park.
Thailand has long been considered a model in the fight against AIDS and has
made great gains in reducing the number of new infections through strongly
promoting condom use among prostitutes.
In China, schoolgirls decorated classrooms with red ribbons, the
international symbol for AIDS awareness, and taxi drivers handed out
angel-shaped cards with information about preventing the disease and
reducing discrimination against people with HIV.
In Papua New Guinea, the governor-general and the health minister took
HIV/AIDS blood tests in front of hundreds of people to encourage voluntary
testing for the disease.
In Hanoi yesterday, about 450 people participated in an event that brought
together people with HIV and other community members and aimed at reducing
the stigma attached to the disease.
The group pitched a dozen large tents, where people ate lunch, talked and
sang together. — AP
 Back to
News Page
|
