CHURCH AGAINST AIDS

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[12:53 pm] 21 February, 2007

"Unless we struggle against AIDS, there won’t be any Armenian left
in a generation," claims the Reverend Mailyan. The reverend together
with Edward Hovhannisyan, doctor at AIDS Republican Center, met a
group of students in Yerevan State University. He said that thereon
the church will support those struggling against HIV and AIDS. On that
purpose the church has already published several books on AIDS and HIV.

According to the statistics of AIDS Republican Center, 433 people are
infected with HIV, 104 of them being women and 12 – children. 150
out of the infected with HIV have passed into AIDS phase. Edward
Hovhannisyan stated that there are also not recorded contagious
people having various reasons not to turn to doctors’ help. The
doctor reminded the students about three ways of virus transmission:
sexual, through blood and mother to baby. He also informed that the
treatment of HIV and AIDS are free of charge. The expert also talked
about other phases of the disease.

HIV lasts for 7-12 years which later transforms into AIDS, the latter
being incurable. The doctor stated that one type of the virus is
widespread, which is aggressive and is more prone to AIDS. "We are
unable to save lives, but we can prolong the patient’s life."

AIDS Republican Center, founded in 1988, has carried out HIV and AIDS
prevention program in the years of 2001-2006. HIV was first found
among homosexuals in 1981 in America. Nevertheless, scientists’
researches prove its existence in 1950s in Africa.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress