By Andrea Hargraves 
The Ministry of Health building is lit up tonight to mark four decades since the outbreak in Portugal.
Under the slogan “Communities in Leadership”, the Directorate General of Health, through the National Program for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV Infection, invited the 11 cities on the fast track to eliminating the HIV epidemic, to commemorate World AIDS Day, through illumination. One or more buildings in its cities are in red, on the night of December 1 to 2.
Symbolically, by lighting up their buildings in red, the Ministry of Health and the General Directorate of Health, together with their partners, celebrate four decades of infection in Portugal, pay tribute to the more than 15,000 fatal victims, and reinforce the commitment to keeping communities at the forefront of the infection response.
Six cities accepted the challenge, and on the night of December 1 to 2, the following buildings will be illuminated in red:
- Almada – Boca do Viento lift ramp
- Amadora – City Hall Building and Municipal Library Fernando Pitera Santos
- Cascais – Pacos do Conselho building
- Odefelas – City Hall building
- Sintra – Castle of the Moors
- Vila Nova de Gaia – Corridors of the Serra do Pilar Monastery
For more information, see: General Directorate of Health