BRAZZAVILLE, July 24 (AFP) - Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso on Thursday called for a "revolution in attitudes" to help confront the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Sassou Nguesso, speaking at a public meeting to introduce members of the country's National Council for the Struggle Against AIDS (CNLS), said the disease was still spreading fast despite increased funding and the much improved safety of blood transfusions.
"I'm calling for a revolution in attitudes so that the behaviour of each and every Congolese man and woman is compatible with the battle against the epidemic," Nguesso said.
He urged CNLS staff to "ensure that this revolution takes place".
Since AIDS first reached Republic of Congo in 1983, 12,614 people have died from the disease out of a total of around 110,000 recorded cases, leaving some 78,000 children orphaned, according to health ministry figures.
The infection rate among the country's three million inhabitants stands at 7.8 percent, with up to 70 percent of beds in some hospitals now occupied by AIDS patients.
Sassou Nguesso called for a "national synergy" of efforts by churches, non-governmental organisations and artists to give extra momentum to the battle against AIDS.
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