Pacheco Proposes Talking
to Church about Condom Use 

San Salvador (ACAN-EFE) – Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco proposed Friday that Central American leaders talk to the region's bishops about the necessity of condoms as a way to prevent the spread of AIDS.

Pacheco made the proposal during a Central Ame rica n Summit meeting here to deal specifically with the AIDS affliction on the isthmus.

Pacheco said in a press conference that Central America is “moving forward” in the fight against the epidemic and condom use is openly discussed. The President added that government representatives around Central America will bring the condom discussion to bishops of the Catholic Church, a sector which opposes the use of condoms. 

While these and other goals were made during the conference – including reducing AIDS by 25% among young people – Central Ame rica n nations “woke up a bit late” to the fact that they have a growing problem with HIV infection and AIDS, according to the top United Nations fighter of the disease.

Although some progress is being made, Central Americans must do more to prevent and remove the social stigma attached to the illness, the head of UNAIDS, Peter Piot, said in an interview with EFE prior to Friday's summit.

“One of the main points is that the region's leaders have to spend more of their budgets on it, and not depend so much on international funds, which should only be complementary,” Piot said.

The epidemic is having a major effect on all Central Ame rica n nations, he noted, but especially on Honduras and Guatemala, where it is rapidly spreading, especially among emigrants, male homosexuals, prostitutes and prison inmates.

More and more women are coming down with the disease throughout the region, he added, but “some people still think it is a man's disease.”

Piot noted that though the world's first AIDS case was diagnosed 24 years ago, this is the first time Central Ame rica n presidents are meeting to specifically address the problem.

In addition to Pacheco, Salvadoran President Tony Saca, and Guatemalan President Oscar Berger participated in the event. Nicaragua was represented by its vice president, Alfredo Gomez, and Honduras and Panama by their health ministers.

At the close of their meeting, the leaders issued a declaration resolving to “take all the legal, educational, informational and communication steps necessary to reach the entire population with the goal of reducing discriminatory behaviors and improving knowledge of the rights of people living with HIV, as well as access to the protection of those rights.”

In addition, they vowed to “refocus efforts” on preventing HIV/AIDS through specific programs designed with the active participation of people most vulnerable to HIV and people already living with it.

Finally, the leaders committed to maintaining and increasing the resources their nations devote to combating the disease, and called for international donors, bilateral as well as multilateral, to increase their support to their region.

“I am an optimist and see progress. Treatment is offered, but there is a large gap in terms of prevention, especially among children, women, the young and gay males,” Piot said.

Though there has been some improvement, Central Ame rica has been deficient in reporting AIDS cases, he pointed out, principally because of the stigma attached and because of discrimination against people with the disease, who choose to conceal it.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced during the summit that by 2010, they will try to reduce by 25% the number of young people who have HIV in Latin America.

The UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Nils Kastberg, said achieving this goal requires promoting abstinence, fidelity and condom use.

Approximately 740,000 young people between 15 and 24 live with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Central American ministers of Health will meet at the end of the month in Nicaragua to advance the presidential accords made.