AFRICA /KENYA AIDS in Kenya 750 people die of AIDS every day, more than 31 per hour, more than 1 every 2 minutes. First conference of Kenyan women

Rome (Fides Service) - In Kenya there are one million orphans whose parents died of AIDS, every day 750 people die of AIDS, more than 31 per hour, more than 1 every 2 minutes. These figures were quoted by Kenya’s Health Minister Charity Ngilu, at the end of a meeting of Kenyan Women on HIV-AIDS attended by more than 4,000 delegates. The health minister said the battle must be fought by changing sociali behaviour. In fact, all over sub-Saharan Africa widows are forced to marry their husband’s brother or some other relation and because many men die of AIDS the virus is spread geometrically.
70% of HIV positive people in the world live in Africa, Sub-Saharan countries in particular: about 30 million (60%) are women. In Africa to date AIDS has killed about 15 million people a relentless decimation which has already made orphans of 11 million children. (AP) (Fides Service; lines: 16; words: 188)