December 5, 2003 GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) -- Guyana's health minister said Friday that he will propose distributing condoms in the South American country's prisons to help control the spread of AIDS.
Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy said he expects Cabinet will give quick approval in the next two weeks.
"Until we get a better idea of how to deal with the spread of disease in prison, we would be going ahead with the plan to distribute condoms," he told The Associated Press.
Saying he is aware some Christian groups could object to the plan, Ramsammy said condoms remain the best way to stem the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"This is not about morality and we should be less homophobic and admit there is sex among inmates," Ramsammy said.
The government estimates there are about 17,500 infected people in Guyana, or 2.5 percent of the population of about 700,000 -- making it one of the most affected nations in the Caribbean.
The former British colony's Health Ministry has been working to treat tuberculosis and other AIDS-related conditions in its overcrowded prisons.
The health minister revealed his plans a day after one prisoner died of tuberculosis while awaiting trial. Ramsammy said the need for contraceptives is urgent.
"Leave it to me and I would not even take it to Cabinet," he said.
Guyana was included with Haiti as the two Caribbean countries to receive aid as part of a five-year, US$15 billion U.S. plan approved this year to combat the virus in Africa and the Caribbean.
With some 2 percent of its population infected, the Caribbean has the world's second-highest infection rate after sub-Saharan Africa. The figures exclude Cuba, where prevention programs have kept rates low.
Previous suggestions of condoms in prisons have led to turmoil. In 1997, prison riots erupted in Jamaica after a top official suggested condoms be issued to inmates and guards. Prisoners attacked other inmates whom they accused of being homosexuals, killing 16 people.
Officials later withdrew the suggestion.
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