HIV campaign in post offices

A campaign to prevent HIV is being launched in post offices around the world by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The Universal Postal Union, the International Labour Organization and UNI Global Union are also involved in the project, which will see 16,000 post offices in seven countries providing information to visitors on HIV prevention.

Post offices in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Estonia, Mali and Nigeria will all display posters and give hand-outs, as well as promote a multi-language UNAIDS website.

Michel Sidibe, exectuive director of UNAIDS, said: "With more than 7,400 new infections occurring every day it is clear that HIV prevention efforts need to be stepped up urgently.

"The postal network has an extremely wide outreach; it is open to everyone from the young to the old and is an excellent and innovative way to raise awareness about how to prevent HIV."

Over the next three years, the initiative is expected to grow to 600,000 post offices around the globe.

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