HIV/AIDS Rally Targets Youth Awareness:
By Kendea Jones -
Nassau, Bahamas:

With sixty-nine new HIV/AIDS cases reported for the first quarter of the year health officials are targeting young Bahamians to educate them about the deadly epidemic.

This is why Kerzner International, the National HIV/AIDS Centre of the Ministry of Health and Social Development and students of the College of The Bahamas hosted a youth rally for high school students at the National Performing Arts Centre.

Jessica Stubbs, an official of the HIV/AIDS Secretariat, who was at the rally, said even though rallies are a good way to spread the message of prevention, there is more that can be done.

"HIV testing should be made available in schools but because of the legal age of consent, in order for them to receive it parents have to sign on it," she said. "We are encouraging parents who know that their children are sexually active to bring them in for testing."

She said young people should know what they are up against.

"HIV/AIDS is widely [prevalent] in teenagers 15 to 19 years old and it’s because they feel that they are invincible," she said. "We wanted them to know that any sexual encounter even their first one can put them in risk for HIV."

"Persons can have HIV and have no signs of the infection," Ms. Stubbs added.

Ella Poth, Vice President of Quality Assurance at Atlantis told the Journal how the event was organized.

"We invited Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA down for a private function at the hotel and when we found out that Miss Universe’s platform was AIDS, which was the cause that she was interested in, we called the HIV/AIDS Centre for the Bahamas and asked them if it would something that they would be interested in," she said. "We have an ongoing relationship with the HIV/AIDS Centre of the Bahamas so anytime we have an opportunity to get involved we do that."

Newly crowned Miss Universe Riyo Mori gave remarks at the rally.

Ms Mori has been a busy woman. Since her win in May, she has traveled to five countries. However, she said the rally was actually the first time she had to address a crowd in English.

She said what she really wanted to do was relate to the students.

"I wanted to talk to the students who are 12-15 years old because I went through that time," Ms. Mori said. "I know that they are curious about everything. That can be really good, but it is also really bad at times because they don’t know what to do and then they do maybe the wrong thing."

"I want them to believe in themselves more than anything."

Miss Bahamas Universe Trinere Lynes, who was also speaking at the rally, reminded students that there is no cure for the disease.

"I wanted them to know that it is out there and it is available to anybody," she said. "I wanted to encourage them to get more information. My platform deals with communication between the youth and their parents and it is the base of what is going on in their community. I feel that if young people talk to their parents they won’t go through things like AIDS."

29 September 2007