Since 1985, over 12,300 people have been diagnosed as HIV positive in Jalisco, of whom 60 percent have died, Blanca Estrada, technical secretary of Coesida, the state-run AIDS prevention department, said this week.
But for every one person diagnosed, there are four to five who are living with the disease, she added.
Estrada said the number of new HIV infections registered each year in the state hovers around the 200 mark but that figure could rise with better detection programs.
Coesida’s major goals for the next five years are to maintain and expand responsible sexual education programs at all school levels, develop greater public awareness to lessen discrimination and reduce the number of HIV-related deaths.
Coesida will join with several other civic groups to commemorate World Aids Day. As in previous years, booths will be set up in plazas to provide information on safe sexual practices, as a massive red ribbon will be created behind the Degollado Theater to remember those who have died from Aids.