Central American nations warn against AIDS among young people

Central American nations clinched an agreement Tuesday aimed at stepping up measures to rein in the spread of HIV and AIDS in the region, especially among young people.
Central American nations have made "limited and sporadic" progress in terms of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, said the agreement after a three-day regional AIDS meeting concluded in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua.
The fifth Central American Conference on AIDS opened Sunday under the theme "For Equality, Diversity and Non-discrimination."
The countries in the region are required to honor their commitments and put into effect related policies in favor of AIDS patients, and prevent the spread of the virus especially among young people, according the agreement.
Central America is experiencing the highest HIV and AIDS rates in Latin America, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said Monday in a statement.
The official figure shows that there are 1.7 million people with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean region, of whom 750,000 are under 24. In Central America, there are 210,000 people living with HIV/AIDS.
"In 2010 the Central American epidemic could reach an infection rate of two percent in the adult population," UNAIDS said.
During the meeting, representatives from Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala signed a joint declaration on education of AIDS prevention.