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HIV/AIDS II: UNICEF Welcomes Pacific Churches' Support For Patients : UN Wire

UNICEF has praised Pacific Christian churches for forgoing condemnation of HIV/AIDS sufferers in favor of making efforts to assist and counsel those with the disease, Agence France-Presse reported over the weekend. A UNICEF adolescents and HIV/AIDS officer for the region, Ayoadi Olatunbosun-Alakija, called the churches' acknowledgment of the epidemic "absolutely wonderful."
"If the churches take the lead in acknowledging the issue and treating it as a health concern rather than a sexual infection, if the churches perceive it in a holistic approach, then everybody else will stop burying their heads in the sand," Olatunbosun-Alakija said. "In many parts of the world, especially community-based institutions, this kind of support is absolutely essential. ... Prevention measures for HIV/AIDS needs a concerted effort from everyone; if they are getting full and complete information instead of continuously being told that having HIV/AIDS is a sin, the churches will acknowledge it."