Activists have been promoting the ABC of Aids/HIV awareness: Abstain, Be Faithful and Condomise.
But despite massive education programmes on the need to be sexually responsible by getting tested and counselled, UN Aids Senior Regional Programme Advisor, Dr Michel de Groulard, sounded an alarm: 20,000 new infections across the Caribbean in 2008. To date, there are 240,000 people living with HIV across the Caribbean, he said. De Groulard was speaking at a commemmorative workshop and celebration of the late actor/Aids activist Godfrey Sealy at Crowne Plaza, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. De Groulard said: "In the Caribbean, 12,000 people have died. There have been about 20,000 new infections."
He said the number of new infections has slightly decreased over the past eight years but agreed the rate of new infections was influenced by social and cultural factors. He also noted significant progression had been made with mother-to-child transmission and fewer children were born with HIV/Aids. Information Minister Neil Parsanlal expressed the view that "it (Aids/HIV) was no longer a death sentence." Anti-retroviral drugs and support and counselling centres have been made available, he said.
Kudos for Godfrey Sealy
Among those who gathered to pay tribute to Sealy for his pioneering spirit and inspiration to the affected were his sister, Ann Marie Sealy, and students from Diego Martin Government Secondary School. NAAC chairman, Angela Lee Loy, also was present and representatives from Rapport and other groups. Lee Loy said: "He inspired me to keep in touch with my authentic side...separate myself from the world of materialism." Dr Helmer Hilwig noted the ontology (world view) had moved from HIV/Aids being seen as the wrath of God descending upon homosexuals. He wrote "One of Our Sons is Missing". He said: "We had the voice of Sealy. He was the first homosexual in T&T who dared to say 'I am gay. I have Aids.' He was that voice at world fora. Godfrey was a little hero. We should all be little Godfreys."
