Health Minister Rudyard Spencer says Jamaica's youth are in trouble and efforts are needed to empower them to make sensible decisions about sex.

Between 1995 and 2006, HIV infection doubled in the age group 10-24. As of June 2007, there were over 200 reported HIV/AIDS cases among adolescents. AIDS is the second leading cause of death for youths between the ages of 15 and 24.

"We must go beyond education and increasing knowledge because they already know about risky sexual behaviour. We now need to bridge the gap between knowledge and action behaviour change," Spencer said yesterday during the World AIDS Day Leadership Breakfast at the Hilton Kingston hotel in New Kingston.

Spencer said schools should open their doors to communities for continuous training and education.

"In these tough and uncertain times, we need every hand on deck to beat the cold-hearted, cruel and evil among us and to lift up our country above the wreck and ruin of hatred, ignorance and shame," the health minister said.

Wrestling with social stigma

World AIDS Day is being observed under the theme 'Lead, Empower, Deliver'. Jamaica has decided to make youth its national focus as data have revealed that they are at risk.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has expressed concern that the incidence of children engaging in sexual activities is not getting any lower.

He has said that the society still wrestles with the social stigma associated with the disease.

The prime minister has said Jamaica must improve the comfort level of testing and the response process if it is to combat the problem of HIV and AIDS.

Between 1982 and 2007, 12,520 people have been reported with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. However, the health ministry estimates that there are 27,000 Jamaicans living with HIV or AIDS, 18,000 of whom are believed to be unaware of their status.

Golding, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, Ainsley Reid, Annesha Taylor and Rosemarie Stone, advocates for people living with HIV, were presented with awards for HIV leadership advocacy.

Best-practices awards for adoption of the International Labour Organisation workplace principles in 2008 were presented to first-place winner Sandals Montego Bay. The University of the West Indies and Red Stripe received second and third places, respectively.