Mexico City - As host country for the August 3-8 International AIDS Conference, Mexico's own country efforts will play a prominent role in widening the message of prevention to the entire Latin American region and the world.

Jorge Saavedra Lopez, the director general of the National Centre for Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS (CENSIDA), and the country's first openly-gay person to serve as a senior government official, spoke recently to reporters about the issue of AIDS and homosexuality that is still swept under the carpet in about half of all countries worldwide.

Seeing homosexual couples around Mexico City is not unusual, and by law, they are allowed to establish "convenience societies," which are however not considered legal marriages.

Around Latin America, Panama is the only country that still has penalties in place for homosexual conduct.

Men who have sex with men represent a quarter of the new infections in Latin America and half of the new cases in Brazil, according to the US-based non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation.

But AIDS activists say many countries across the region have, if not a legal problem, a very serious social problem which verges on homophobia. Much of it is tied up to the machismo images perpetuated, for example, by Jamaican reggae singers who sing happy songs about killing homosexuals.

"It is difficult to evaluate the extent of homophobia in our country," Saavedra said. "We know it is great, which is why we are involved in campaigns and action to reduce it."

Saavedra, who has led Mexico's national HIV/AIDS response since 2003, is highly regarded worldwide for his leadership in the field. He launched the programme aimed at universal access to AIDS medications, and has served as a board member to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Using his position within the country's ministry of health, Saavedra founded the country's first ambulatory care clinic for AIDS in 2000, which is now Mexico's largest such care center, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

He has also used his position to advocate for the rights of gay people who are HIV positive, and for open discussion that leads to sensible prevention efforts.

Saavedra estimates that about 80 countries around the world deny that homosexuality exists, meaning the health infrastructure in those countries fail to carry out the studies needed about HIV transmission through homosexual relations, and the public education regarding safe sex between men.

"I think that Mexico is one of the few countries that is dealing with the problem openly, without attempting to hide a reality," Saavedra said. "Brazil is another country that is doing things this way." (dpa)