According to the Director General of the Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS from the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Luis Ernesto Feliz Baez, some 14,000 people living in the 14 provinces in the north of the country are infected with HIV, with the highest rates in Santiago, Puerto Plata and Salcedo.
Baez made the statement when launching a campaign in Santiago called “It’s not just about you,” which is aimed at eliminating the transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis from mother to child.
The ceremony took place at the Cibao Theater, and was led by Public Health Minister Dr. Lorenzo Wilfredo (Freddy) Hidalgo Nunez, in the company of local authority representatives and delegates from the United States government and international aid agencies.
The Minister said that the plan was being rolled out in several maternity units across the country, where mothers can be tested for HIV and syphilis free of charge.
www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2013/03/14/i375191_cibao-residen-mil-personas-con-vih.html