Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 6/6/2003

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

CONTENT:

1 - AFRICA: First ladies resolve to combat HIV/AIDS stigmatisation

1 - AFRICA: First ladies resolve to combat HIV/AIDS stigmatisation

KIGALI, 5 June (PLUSNEWS) - A two-day conference for African first ladies

opened on Thursday in Rwanda, focusing on ways to fight HIV/AIDS-related

stigma and discrimination across sub-Saharan Africa.

The first ladies from Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda said they sought to

replace stigma with support, fear with hope and shame and silence with

solidarity.

Hosted by Rwanda's Janet Kagame, the conference is titled " United Against

Stigma and Discrimination " .

The first ladies said that HIV/AIDS remained one of the greatest threats

to life on the continent, yet stigmatisation and discrimination of people

living with HIV/AIDS had affected prevention campaigns and undermined care

and support efforts.

Kagame said that stigma emanated from a combination of fear and shame.

" Fear because testing positive is tantamount to a death sentence and shame

because the HIV mode of transmission is surrounded by taboo and moral

judgement, " she said.

According to Agnes Binawgaho of the Rwanda National AIDS Control

Programme, out of the 42 million people affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide, 70

percent are in sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, 90 percent of new infections

are in the region yet only 4 percent have access to antiretroviral

treatment.

Rwanda has one of the highest infection rates in the region, with 13.5

percent of its 8.1 million people affected by HIV/AIDS, Binawgaho said.

The first ladies pledged to mobilise their other African compatriots and

leaders to champion the AIDS-related stigma reduction campaign on the

continent.

" The more alarm we raise about HIV/AIDS the more lives we will save, "

Janet Museveni, of Uganda, said.

[ENDS]

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