Geneva, May 08: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent today sharply criticised some religious groups over their attitude to HIV/AIDS, charging that they were helping to fuel the stigma surrounding the disease. "Each year, more and more people die from the disease and it is the stigma and misinformation around HIV that is killing people," president of international federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, Juan Manuel Suarez Del Toro said.
"Faith-based and other prominent organisations" which actively condemn the use of condoms or single out high risk groups "for blame and discrimination", were hampering the fight against the disease, the federation warned in a statement.

"These organisations are acting irresponsibly by providing misleading information about HIV/AIDS," said Massimo Barra of the Italian Red Cross.
About 42 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS and 3.1 million died as a result of the disease last year, according to the UN. There were about five million new infections worldwide in 2002.
The stigma, discrimination and marginalisation surrounding HIV/AIDS are the focus of world red cross and Red Crescent Day today, which is being marked with promotional events to dispel taboos under the slogan "the truth about AIDS. Pass it on.”

People with HIV/AIDS may not know or are afraid to admit they have disease, governments refuse to acknowledge its existence, while cultural barriers and beliefs have made the issue taboo and people living with aids are reactively discriminated against, the red cross said.
Bureau Report