- Title: VARIOUS: Latin America marks World AIDS Day
- Date: 2nd December 2009
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (NOVEMBER 30, 2009) (REUTERS) (CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) FULL MOON EXTERIOR OF MEXICO CITY CITY HALL MEXICO CITY MAIOR, MARCELO EBRARD, TURNING SWITCH ON TO LIGHT UP NINE MONUMENTS PEOPLE APPLAUDING WHILE BUILDINGS ARE LIT UP IN RED VARIOUS OF MEXICO CITY GOVERNMENT BUILDING LIT IN RED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICO CITY MAYOR, MARCELO EBRARD, SA
- Embargoed: 17th December 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Health
- Reuters ID: LVAAW2I8NUUI6YK09IXH9CZ0AI4Z
- Story Text: Mexico, Peru and Argentina raise awareness about AIDS on World AIDS Day.
Throughout Latin America, health campaigns, red ribbons and lights marked World Aids Day on Tuesday (December 1), drawing attention to the epidemic that killed roughly 77,000 people in the region in 2008.
In Mexico, Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard on Monday (November 30) illuminated over 200 red lamps on tourist attractions and historic spots.
According to Ebrard, the light show was aimed at raising awareness about the AIDS problem and changing the way people see those who carry the HIV virus.
"In order to succeed in what brought us together today, which is protect (people from AIDS), reduce the spreading (of AIDS), guarantee full access to medicines, (and) change our culture, we need to sum up efforts from a lot of people. And that's why I celebrate this initiative. (Because) it tries to put the (AIDS) theme in evidence, it informs (people) properly and it also tries to change our culture," he said.
In Peru, prostitutes from the country's oldest brothel, El Trocadero, in Lima, took free blood tests on Monday to find out whether they had the HIV virus.
One of the women said clients would be able to visit stress-free once they knew all the women were examined.
"Now, men can come with no stress, (men can) do their private thing (sex) with tranquility because we (prostitutes) are all well taken care of. There is not one single girl here that hasn't been examined. This is what I can say," said prostitute Bella.
Local authorities from Callao, a city in Lima's Metropolitan Area, said that for now, only prostitutes from legalized brothels would undergo AIDS tests.
"We started these activities (for the World Aids Day) with a campaign that is detecting the HIV virus in the population of sexual workers here in the legal brothels in Callao," said Callao's government coordinator, Jose Alcantara.
In Argentina, the government house known as Casa Rosada (Pink House) was adorned with a large red ribbon on Tuesday (December 1).
Argentina's Economy Ministry building was also decorated with the AIDS ribbon.
According to a report issued by the World Health Organisation, there were some 2 million people living with the AIDS virus in Latin America in 2008.
Around 170,000 were newly infected in the past year and roughly 77,000 died of AIDS-related diseases in the region.
An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the AIDS virus. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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