QUERÉTARO, Qro.- The State Secretary of Health, Julio César Ramírez Argüello, said that the main cause of infection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is homosexuality, and therefore, he added, donations are not received of blood from that sector of the population.
“It’s a way to protect the blood and the recipient a little more,” he said.
According to the state official, homosexuals represent a “greater risk” factor among the population, and the idea is to reduce these factors, therefore, they are not allowed to donate blood.
Josué Quino Andrade, an activist at the Theater and AIDS organization, regretted the official’s statements, because as Secretary of Health, he said, “Ramírez Argüello would have to be aware of certain issues, such as there is already a high sensitivity HIV test, which is called PCR, which can give you the results of the presence of the virus in your blood for up to 90 minutes. ”
Quino Andrade considered that the state official’s concern should be more focused on updating medical advances, so as not to give inaccurate information.
“That concern of him for the window period should rather be changed by a concern to be aware, be updated of new developments in this regard,” he said.
For her part, activist Jovana Espinosa Orta said that, with her sayings, the Secretary of Health promotes stereotypes and stigmatizes people with HIV and those with a sexual preference other than heterosexual.
“I think it is worrying and serious, because it speaks of great misinformation in the subject, and it is even more serious that it is the secretary of Health of the state who is making this type of statements,” said Amnesty International member of the entity.
Espinosa Orta invited the official “to inform himself, to know what the procedures for blood donation are like. It is forbidden to be asked for your sexual preference, for example, to donate blood, it is an act of discrimination, ”he said.
Source: proceso
The Mazatlan Post
