The director of UNAIDS in Latin America requested that the Colombian government increase youth HIV awareness, after a report revealed that contraction of the virus has increased in Colombians aged 15 to 24.
The head of the UN program, Cesar Nuñez said social networking websites could be a useful tool in spreading information about the epidemic to the younger population.
“Today young people are more aware of Twitter and Facebook than listening to a radio or television campaign. Social networks can be more effective,” he said.
A UN report on HIV in Colombia was released stating that close to 152,000 people suffer from the virus. Of those, 74% are men, although among youths aged 15 to 24 more women have HIV than men, a trend Nuñez “had not seen” before.
“The message we want to send is of prevention. One of the tools is giving condoms to the public and the population at risk free of charge,” he said.
