Millions Mark World AIDS Day
Millions of people around the globe marked World AIDS Day on Sunday with marches and prayers amid grim statistics that show the epidemic outpacing efforts to control it.
In China, officials instructed 1 million students to launch a national AIDS awareness campaign. In Britain, health experts warned of a startling jump in new infections. And in South Africa -- the country worst hit by the disease -- activists held a mass funeral for babies.
“We pay tribute to all the children who have passed away in our care,” said Jackie Schoeman of the Cotlands Baby Sanctuary, which held a ceremony in Johannesburg to inter the victims’ ashes.
Sunday’s activities highlighted how the disease has spread since it was detected in gay men in the U.S. in 1981.
Estimates released by the U.N. last week indicate that more than 40 million people worldwide are infected.
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