SUDAN: Minister calls on media to join anti-AIDS campaign

Sudanese Minister of Health Tabitha Boutrous has called on the media to play a more active role in the fight against HIV/AIDS by educating the nation about the pandemic.

According to the state-run Sudan News Agency, Boutrous urged media representatives attending a meeting of the National AIDS Council earlier this week to intensify their awareness campaigns in order to contain the pandemic, especially among young people, who were most at risk.

The United Nations Children's Fund estimates that only about one-third of all Sudanese between the ages of 18 and 25 know how HIV is transmitted.

Awareness programmes need to be tailored to fit the Muslim north, the Christian south and the various cultural differences in the country.

According to UNAIDS, the country's HIV prevalence is 1.6 percent, and 34,000 lives have already been claimed by the pandemic.

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[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]