AIDS center opens
We used to think of AIDS as a homosexual disease. We used to think it was something brought to Belize by foreigners, or something you only got if you went to the States or a country in Central America. Well, you’d better throw out those myths once and for all and do it fast. For one thing people who are contracting HIV the fastest in Belize are not gays, but young heterosexual men and women aged 15 to 35. But even more startling — and frightening — Belize is now ranked number one in all of Central America for the amount of AIDS cases per capita. That’s right, we top the list in Central America and we’re pretty high up on the list for the entire hemisphere. Arreini Palacio has more on AIDS in Belize and the opening of a center which will offer some help to those affected by the disease.
Rodel Beltran Perera, Director, Alliance Against AIDS
“It is at the stage of epidemic; I would want to consider it more than that.”
With over seven thousand people estimated to have HIV in Belize, at this stage it could be considered more than that by just about everyone. At the opening this morning of the Alliance Against AIDS Center and hotline Minister of Health Servulo Baeza gave some startling news about how Belize ranks internationally in terms of HIV/AIDS. The figures show what the Alliance is up against.
Servulo Baeza, Minister of Health
“If we look at the statistics today we will see that we have been fighting a loosing war. Belize is ranked number 1 in Central America, in terms of per capita, number 4 in Latin America, 11 in Caribbean and 34 in the World. If you are frightened of the statistics you might think of the situation we are in.”
But while those in the Ministry of Health struggle to cope with a growing AIDS epidemic, the two year old Alliance Against AIDS organization funded by the Dutch humanitarian organization HIVOS, has trained fifty volunteers for its service and support center.
According to the Alliance’s Director Rodel Beltran Perera, they are trying to address the frightening situation by reaching out to those persons affected by the AIDS virus.
Rodel Beltran Perera
“We are concerned about the spread of HIV and AIDS. We have an energetic group of people linked to this new community based organization. We are out to work very hard to spread the message about how deadly this disease is and the virus. We want to work mostly with the Ministry of Health along with other NGOs locally and internationally.”
The center is not only a place for people with the AIDS virus but also a resource center for members of the general public to get information. It’s a place where everyone shares a common ground.
Rodel Beltran Perera
“”Common Ground” is the name we have chosen for our center. It is a place for people with the virus and those that have the disease and those that are affected by the disease: people that have lost their daughters, sons or child or left orphan, children.”
Common Ground is opened from eight in the morning to five in the evening and is situated on Meighan Avenue in Kings Park. Arreini Palacio for News Five.
The Alliance Against AIDS hotline numbers are 02-36911 and 36912.
