Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said a lifestyle of abstinence, faithfulness and condomising was the approach to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and urged Guyanese to preach it.

At an inter-faith service to mark World Aids Day observed yesterday, Hinds underscored the importance of the need for persons to know their status and for infected persons to have access to treatment and care.

“In this regard let me join in urging the world’s scientists to keep the faith and redouble their efforts to find a medical cure and a vaccine,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) quoted the PM as saying.

In reaffirming government’s commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS, he noted the importance of partnerships and the work being done by persons in the health sector along with other local partners.

According to GINA Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsarran, who also spoke at the service, said leadership at the local level had been critical in the fight and Guyana had received international recognition in this area.

The National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS) coordinated the service which was held at National Cultural Centre yesterday morning.

Meanwhile Caricom Secretary General, Edwin Carrington stated that the 20th World Aids Day should be a time for reflection and introspection: introspection on promises made, individually and collectively, to provide strong leadership by implementing strategies to deal with prevention and treatment; to protect human rights by reducing stigma and discrimination; and to promote research among other promises, as indicated by the signatures to the 2001 UNGASS Declaration of Commitment.

Carrington said despite the optimism caused by recent statistics which suggested the global prevalence of the infection was stabilizing in addition to localized reductions, the statistics still painted a grim picture and pointed out that inadequate access to HIV prevention and treatment services resulted in new infections and deaths daily.

He added that progress in halting the HIV pandemic was still falling short of targets and emphasised that leaders must honour the 2006 UNGASS commitment of delivering universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care treatment and support services by 2010.