VARIOUS: Countries observe World AIDS Day

" A day of sadness and a day of hope," declares US President Bush as the first World AIDS Day is marked across the globe. Countries across the globe observed World AIDS Day on Saturday (December 1). In the Philippines, hundreds of social workers, safe sex advocates, and relatives of people afflicted with HIV/AIDS joined a World AIDS Day commemoration march, which ran the theme "Take the Lead, Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise". The participants also included those infected with HIV/AIDS. Advocacy group "Girls, Women, and HIV & AIDS Network" (G1) and the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) along with government and social welfare organizations spearheaded the march aimed at raising awareness of issues related to HIV/AIDS. "The problem of stigma and discrimination is still a problem," said Dr. Belen de la Paz, executive director of the non-government organization Health Action Information Network. "And while we're trying to be more accurate with our data, with surveillance and monitoring, with an increasing number of overseas Filipino workers coming back tested as HIV positive, there may still be really a hidden population," added de la Paz. India launched the world's largest social mobilization campaign against HIV to coincide with World AIDS Day. 'Red Ribbon Express', a train dedicated to the service of spreading awareness on Acquired Immuno Deficiency Disease (AIDS) will cross more than 27, 000 kilometres, holding programs and activities in over 50, 00 villages across the country. India's federal Health minister announced that India will soon roll out a second line of drugs to battle the disease starting next year. "The government of India has taken a decision to roll out a second line of drugs from January 1, next year in two centres - one in Mumbai and one in Chennai for below poverty line patients, free of cost and then eventually, by April, we are going to expand these centres to about 10-15 in all parts of the country," said Anbumani Ramadoss, India's Federal Health Minister. He also added that the initiative, the largest in the world, is aimed at reaching every corner of the country spreading awareness against the disease at the grassroots level. Meanwhile, Miss World Organisation 2007 chairwoman Julia Morley, widow of contest founder Eric, invited former South African President Nelson Mandela's eldest daughter and his grandson Mandla Mandela to be special guests at the beauty contest on Saturday (December 1) -- Mr Mandela's son Makgatho died of an AIDS-related illness and the family are active campaigners. "We are deeply concerned about the devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic and it is our dearest wish that people across the globe will help to get rid of the stigma that surrounds this tragic disease," Mandla said in a pre recorded message for the event. Earlier, U.S. President George W. Bush attended and addressed a faith based roundtable discussion at a Maryland church where he discussed AIDS prevention. Bush called Saturday's World's AIDS Day "a day of sadness and a day of hope." HIV is an acronym for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus", the biological agent that leads to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS refers to a host of infections and diseases resulting from severe damage to the immune system caused by HIV. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first identified in 1981. Current estimates of HIV-infected individuals range between 33.4 million and 46 million people. Although treatments that slow down the progression of the disease exist, there is currently no cure.

ITN Source | December 1, 2007

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