Iran official calls for AIDS education in schools

A senior Iranian official has called for the inclusion of AIDS education in school textbooks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

Gholamreza Sahraian, a reformist ally of President Mohammad Khatami and governor of Fars province in southern Iran, also said that teachers should be educated on the consequences of the spread of AIDS, IRNA said.

"We must not worry about AIDS education inciting public opinion,’’ Sahraian said. Formal sexual education has been taboo in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Health officials say that more than 1,800 out of some 7.5 million Iranians who have had blood tests have AIDS, while unofficial figures show that more than 63,000 Iranians are HIV-positive.