Legalization of same sex marriages may curb AIDS--experts

Targeting such high-risk groups is the main agenda for AIDS societies worldwide as experts have cautioned that the gay community is at a higher risk of becoming HIV positive.

China, otherwise, has only a 0.05 percent population that is infected with AIDS.

Professor Zhang Beichuan from the Qingdao University said, “The lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage is partially responsible for members of the gay community having multiple sexual partners, which increases the risk of HIV infection."

He stated, “To legalize same-sex marriage could help stabilize and sustain gay relationships, thereby lowering the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Despite the call to legalize same-sex marriages, more than 80 percent of homosexuals in China are already in heterosexual marriages.”

Campaign to reverse spread of AIDS
The country is all set to launch ‘BEIJING - AN INTERVENTION,' a five-year program aimed to target high-risk groups by year 2015 that will help fight the sexually transmitted HIV virus.

“Currently, less than 40 percent of such groups, including men having sex with men (MSM) and sex workers, have ever been reached for HIV/AIDS intervention,” informed Hao Yang, Deputy Director of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Ministry of Health.

He added that these groups have been hardest hit with a sharp increase in the number of HIV cases among same-sex lovers, even though steps have been taken to tackle the problem.

According to the latest data on AIDS infections, approximately 44,000 new cases have been reported by October-end and out of these nearly 13 percent are gays.

Cricketers come ahead to join the AIDS initiative
A new project is being unveiled jointly by the International Cricket Council (ICC), UNAIDS, UNICEF, and the Global Media AIDS Initiative to create mass awareness of AIDS.

All the leading cricketers of almost every international team will be wearing a red ribbon to show their support on World AIDS Day.

South Africa’s cricket captain Graeme Smith stated, “Two million people die of AIDS-related deaths each year and nearly three-quarters of them come from sub-Saharan Africa. These are people who watch me play cricket on television, support me in the stadium and this makes it all seem very real to me.”

The cricketers will also be seen wearing the red ribbons during the ICC Cricket World Cup next year.

“By wearing a red ribbon we are sending a message to the millions of fans across the world that you shouldn't discriminate against people living with HIV,” he concluded.