13 November 2014 - As part of its Gender and Development Program, the Philippine Embassy in Dili organized a briefing on HIV/AIDS and the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) last November 9.

More than 100 Filipinos in Timor-Leste attended the activity which was aimed at increasing their awareness on the diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office for Timor-Leste supported the Embassy’s initiative by deploying its two experts to conduct the briefing.

Dr. Geeganage Weerasinghe, HIV/AIDS Technical Officer of the WHO, highlighted in his presentation the importance of responsible sexual behavior in the prevention and control of the spread of HIV and AIDS. He also shared information on current data and statistics of HIV and AIDS cases in Timor-Leste.

In his lecture, WHO Health Policy Advisor Dr. Rajesh S. Pandav explained the nature, symptoms, modes of transmission and measures to prevent EVD.

A lively and interactive open forum ensued after the capacity-building activity.

Philippine Ambassador to Timor Leste María Aileen H. Bugarín  noted in her closing remarks, “We are happy with the overwhelmingly positive response of the Filipino community on the briefing. We hope that the information shared during the briefing has helped in empowering our kababayans to reduce their vulnerability to pandemics like HIV/AIDS and the EVD. END