The Lan Kwai Fong Carnival is all about friends, family and fun, but it also makes a good platform on which to raise awareness of important social issues.
'The carnival can definitely help to reduce the Aids stigma,' said Loretta Wong Wai-kwan of Aids Concern. 'We are privileged to receive such enormous support from the LKF Association and its tenants and members.
'It is crucial to our society that Aids is not a taboo. Joining in this festival means that we can talk about Aids in a high-profile way. The business sector can talk about Aids and families can talk about it too. People think Aids can only be mentioned in certain settings, such as schools or hospitals. But Aids, safer sex, and acceptance can be mentioned every day and everywhere.'
Many people living with HIV/Aids said that they were not able to talk to their families or friends about living with the disease. They worry about the stigma and discrimination. This is an important barrier encountered by Aids Concern in its daily work.
People may worry about being infected by HIV - the virus which causes Aids - but fear of discrimination prevents them from even having an HIV blood test. In Hong Kong, many people find out about their HIV status at a late stage. This poses many challenges to medical professionals and organisations such as Aids Concern in prevention and the provision of timely medical care. Families who have HIV-positive members may feel isolated and not know where to seek help.
According to the Department of Health, there have been 3,822 recorded cases to date in Hong Kong. In the last quarter, there were 121 newly reported cases, which means at least one newly reported case every day.