"red flags fly high to mark world aids day"

University of Cape Town, DAILY NEWS, 1 December 2009:

"Cape Town motorists were greeted today by 21 red flags flying high on hospital bend as the UCT Desmond Tutu HIV Centre marks World AIDS Day.

Each of the flags marks one year of the 21 World AIDS Days that have been commemorated internationally. The centre also used the occasion to remember the millions of people who have suffered from the pandemic, and encouraged everybody to take responsibility for their own health and that of others.

Staff at the centre gathered under the flags to recommit themselves to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, and to celebrate the success of innovative studies and programmes that enable communities most at risk to better understand the disease and manage their health.

"The flags are flying as a visual testimony to the suffering that burdens the lives of so many people," reads a statement from the centre.

The theme for this year's World AIDS Day is Universal Access and Human Rights, issues the centre is responding to. Through the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, it runs the Tutu Tester, a mobile clinic that takes testing services for HIV and other opportunistic diseases to vulnerable communities. It has been well received at factories, train stations, sports matches, bars and numerous other venues."