Brent and Harrow Health Authority is running an art competition for young people to mark Word Aids Day on December 1.

Local youngsters are being asked to produce posters, postcards and bookmarks to help create a greater awareness of the disease among those most at risk.

Entries should be on the themes of "youth, a force for change", "safer sex in Brent and Harrow", or a depiction of the red ribbon, the international symbol of Aids awareness.

The authority's health promotion department said: "HIV, the virus that causes Aids, continues to escalate alarmingly throughout the world. It is a disease without prejudice, that poses an underlying threat to people from all walks of life, most notably between the ages of ten and 24.

"Depressing statistics show that nearly half of new infections occur in the young: 7,000 young people acquire the virus every day, that's equates to five people every minute.

"Numbers like these should serve as a harrowing reminder to all people who are sexually active that this is not a problem afflicting a distant land, it is a disease rife in the heart of our local community."

A number of activities are being planned in Brent and Harrow for World Aids Day. For further information contact Gerry Idoniboye on 0181 863 3377.

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