Durban – Britain’s Prince Harry has warned against the risks of complacency in the fight against AIDS.
He said on Thursday at an AIDS conference in Durban that inaction had set in as the epidemic had drifted from the headlines and people live longer with the disease.
The prince, who publicly took an HIV test, last Thursday said that the world cannot lose the sense of urgency in fighting the disease.
Henry said at the five day conference, attended by 18,000 experts from 180 countries, that the time had come for all concerned to change the direction of history for an entire generation.
He said that in order not to see HIV as something shameful, young people need support.
“It is time to step up and to acknowledge that stigma and discrimination still act as the greatest barrier to defeating this disease.
“Just imagine what would happen if throughout Africa, children were given the tools to protect their health,” said.
The prince, who took an HIV test in London a week ago, stressed the need for African youths to be given the necessary information and means to combat AIDS.
Harry, who supports a project to combat HIV in Lesotho, noted that the disease is the biggest cause of death among people aged between 11 and 19 years on the continent. (dpa/NAN)