Panafrican News Agency - December 1, 2001
Wene Owino, PANA Correspondent
President Festus Mogae, leading the campaign under the global theme: "I care, do you,? stressed the need for citizens to change their attitude towards sex.
He also called for united actions against the scourge saying: "We are in this together, if you are not infected then, you are affected."
Speakers at the tourist towns of Maun and Selebipikwe, where simultaneous commemoration activities took place, all expressed a similar sentiment.
The activities coincided with an international conference for people living with AIDS, taking place in Gaborone, and the opening of an office for the "Coping Centre For People Living With AIDS (COCEPWA).
The conference, which ends tomorrow and draws participants from South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the US, seeks to encourage people living with AIDS to share experiences.
COCEPWA also launched Saturday, a partnership initiative "REMEGO" (we are together), which encourages AIDS patients to regard themselves as a solution rather than a problem, in the fight against the pandemic.
Officials said the Association works to remove the stigma associated with the scourge.
At the opening of the COCEPWA office, Mogae said people living with AIDS were a resource for the country in the fight against the disease.
Describing them as towering figures, the President said they had shown their commitment to prevention, care and support, adding that it was incumbent on the healthy population to reciprocate.
Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Southern Africa.
011201
PA011203
Copyright © 2001 - Panafrican News Agency. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher: The Panafrican News Agency B.P. 4056, Dakar, Senegal. Tel: (221) 824-13-95 Fax: (221) 824-13-90 E-mail: quoiset@sonatel.senet.net.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1990, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. Feedback/Contact Us.