100 people raise their hands for HIV prevention
Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – About a hundred young Taiwanese raised their hands and lit up lights in front of
(By Central News Agency)
the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to call for an end to prejudice and discrimination on the eve of World AIDS Day Wednesday.
The action formed part of the campaign “Hands up for #HIVprevention” launched by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day has been marked on December 1 since 1998.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Centers for Disease Control responded to the UN organization’s call by gathering about 100 young people on Liberty Square Wednesday evening. They lined up in the shape of a giant red ribbon, the symbol of solidarity with HIV patients, and raised their hands holding red light sticks.
In his address to the crowd, CDC Director General Chou Jih-haw said the largest obstacle in the way of AIDS prevention was social prejudice, which isolated patients and stopped them from stepping forward to receive medical treatment. Waiting too long to seek medical assistance might lead to dangerous situations ending in unnecessary tragedy, Chou said. [FULL STORY]