World shows solidarity with sufferers of AIDS
Ignorance of HIV hard to combat
FATICK, Senegal — Schoolchildren in Senegal pledged to abstain from sex, and village women in India cast off a veil of shame about their HIV status as World AIDS Day was marked Thursday around the globe.
‘‘Our teacher told us that AIDS is a very dangerous disease,’’ said 13- year-old Aissatou Niang, wearing a green Muslim head scarf. ‘‘Only abstinence can save us,’’ she said as her schoolmates giggled nearby.
Such frank talk among African children is key, say antiAIDS campaigners who emphasize science can help combat the disease, but ignorance or taboos surrounding its transmission means AIDS is hard to halt — and treat.
About 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 3 million of them are expected to die of AIDS this year. Africa, with only 10 percent of the world’s population, suffers over half of its HIV infections.
Heavily Muslim Senegal is a relative bright spot on the continent, with only about 1 percent of the population infected. Thursday, dozens of children packed a schoolhouse in the central town of Fatick to learn more about the disease.
‘‘I’ve decided to wait until I’m 19 to have a relationship,’’ said one of the students, Awa Sarr. ‘‘When I go back home, I’ll tell my brothers and sisters about AIDS. That’s why we’re here.’’
In India, some 70 HIV-infected women stepped out of the shadows during a rally in Golaghat, a town in eastern Assam state, to acknowledge they are living with AIDS and should not be shunned.
‘‘I’m happy many women have paid heed to our call and have openly admitted to their HIV-positive status,’’ said Jahnabi Goswami, 28. ‘‘Men with the disease need to follow suit.’’
An estimated 5.1 million people are living with HIV in India — the most in any single country except South Africa. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is third.
South African Deputy President Phumzile MlamboNgcuka urged her fellow citizens Thursday to show their concern about AIDS throughout the year.
‘‘Whatever good we do today, let us repeat it tomorrow, next week and in the coming months as we look forward to the years ahead,’’ she said.
South Africa’s government has been accused of responding sluggishly to the crisis. Life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs became available through the public-health system only last year in South Africa.
In Washington, President Bush reaffirmed America’s commitment to fight the deadly disease around the world.
‘‘Across Africa, this pan-