An activist from a non-governmental organisation (NGO) lights candles during an AIDS awareness campaign on the eve of World AIDS Day in Agartala, capital of India's northeastern state of Tripura November 30, 2011. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey (INDIA - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

Hoy 1 de diembre se celebra el día mundial contra el SIDA. El año pasado ya hice un post con el título de "Un día de lazos rojos contra el SIDA" en el que hacia un repaso a las imágenes de las celebraciones y actos que conmemoran este día de lucha que tiene como símbolo el lazo rojo. Eran todas fotografías como la que encabeza este post. Pero este año he decidido presentaros una serie de imágenes que muestran otra cara del SIDA alejado de los lazos rojos colgados en nuestras ciudades occidentales. Del mismo modo que en una entrega anterior hablaba del rostro del cólera en Haití, estos son los rostros del SIDA que se pueden ver en hospitales de China, Kenia, Sudafrica, México, Tailandia o Guatemala. Lugares donde se trata a los enfermos, muchos de ellos niños y bebés infectados que han perdido a sus padres por la enfermedad. Zonas donde la pandemia se expande gracias al hambre y la pobreza.

Algunas de estas imágenes pueden resultar duras para el lector pero no es más que el rostro del SIDA este 1 de diciembre de 2011.

A girl who lost her mother to HIV/AIDS looks out the window at Nkosi's Haven, south of Johannesburg November 25, 2011. Nkosi's Haven provides residential care for destitute HIV-positive mothers and their children, whether HIV-positive or not. Nkosi's Haven is named after Nkosi Johnson, the young AIDS activist who passed away on International Children's Day on June 1st 2001. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Picture taken November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A man has a sample of blood taken by a nurse for testing at the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1.    REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

A girl laughs while taking her medication at Nkosi's Haven, south of Johannesburg November 25, 2011. Nkosi's Haven provides residential care for destitute HIV-positive mothers and their children, whether HIV-positive or not. Nkosi's Haven is named after Nkosi Johnson, the young AIDS activist who passed away on International Children's Day on June 1st 2001. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Picture taken November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A nurse gives an infected patient medicine as she lies in her bed in the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

Information booklets are seen on a bench in the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1. REUTERS/David Gray     (CHINA - Tags: HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

A boy receives medication at Nkosi's Haven, south of Johannesburg November 25, 2011. Nkosi's Haven provides residential care for destitute HIV-positive mothers and their children, whether HIV-positive or not. Nkosi's Haven is named after Nkosi Johnson, the young AIDS activist who passed away on International Children's Day on June 1st 2001. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Picture taken November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A terminally ill man rests at a hospice for those dying of AIDS, at Wat Prabat Nampu Buddhist temple in Lopburi province on the World AIDS day December 1, 2011.  REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH)

A baby boy lies in a cot at San Jose Hospice in Sacatepequez, about 45 km (27 miles) of Guatemala City, November 30, 2011. About 68 HIV-infected patients, between 44 days to 18 years old, receive free medical care at the hospice. Many of the children were found abandoned in markets, churches, fire stations, left neglected in hospitals or in some instances, brought in by their families who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. World AIDS day which falls on December 1 is commemorated across the world to raise awareness of the pandemic. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (GUATEMALA  - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

Medicine for patients is prepared by a nurse at the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1.    REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: ANNIVERSARY HEALTH)

A nurse is seen through a door as she talks to an infected patient in the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

A patient eats a dose of generic HIV/AIDS drugs at a hospice for those dying of AIDS, at Wat Prabat Nampu Buddhist temple in Lopburi province on World AIDS Day December 1, 2011.  REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A boy stands near towels hung out to dry in the yard of the San Jose Hospice in Sacatepequez, about 45 km (27 miles) of Guatemala City, November 30, 2011. About 68 HIV-infected patients, between 44 days to 18 years old, receive free medical care at the hospice. Many of the children were found abandoned in markets, churches, fire stations, left neglected in hospitals or in some instances, brought in by their families who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. World AIDS day which falls on December 1 is commemorated across the world to raise awareness of the pandemic. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (GUATEMALA  - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A patient receives a dose of generic HIV/AIDS drugs at a hospice for those dying of AIDS, at Wat Prabat Nampu Buddhist temple in Lopburi province on World AIDS day December 1, 2011.  REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

Nimrod plays on the swings during playtime at the Nyumbani Children's Home for children with HIV, in Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. The orphanage, which is heavily reliant on foreign donations, cares for over 100 children with HIV whose parents died of the disease and provides them with housing, care, and antiretroviral medicine to stem the progress of the disease. World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year and is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) KENYA OUT

Fidel, 11, center-right, and Christopher, 3, center-left, sit with others during a break for tea inside the house which they share, at the Nyumbani Children's Home for children with HIV, in Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. The orphanage, which is heavily reliant on foreign donations, cares for over 100 children with HIV whose parents died of the disease and provides them with housing, care, and antiretroviral medicine to stem the progress of the disease. World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year and is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) KENYA OUT

An infant receives medication at Nkosi's Haven, south of Johannesburg November 25, 2011. Nkosi's Haven provides residential care for destitute HIV-positive mothers and their children, whether HIV-positive or not. Nkosi's Haven is named after Nkosi Johnson, the young AIDS activist who passed away on International Children's Day on June 1st 2001. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Picture taken November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

Syringes containing medicine for HIV-infected patients are seen at San Jose Hospice in Sacatepequez, about 45 km (27 miles) of Guatemala City, November 30, 2011. About 68 HIV-infected patients, between 44 days to 18 years old, receive free medical care at the hospice. Many of the children were found abandoned in markets, churches, fire stations, left neglected in hospitals or in some instances, brought in by their families who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. World AIDS day which falls on December 1 is commemorated across the world to raise awareness of the pandemic. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (GUATEMALA  - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A terminally ill man receives treatment at a hospice for those dying of AIDS, at Wat Prabat Nampu Buddhist temple in Lopburi on World AIDS day December 1, 2011.  REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A boy is examined by a nurse at San Jose Hospice in Sacatepequez, about 45 km (27 miles) of Guatemala City, November 30, 2011. About 68 HIV-infected patients, between 44 days to 18 years old, receive free medical care at the hospice. Many of the children were found abandoned in markets, churches, fire stations, left neglected in hospitals or in some instances, brought in by their families who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. World AIDS day which falls on December 1 is commemorated across the world to raise awareness of the pandemic. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (GUATEMALA - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Tabitha Kioko, 40, a mother of three children who has had HIV since 2006, waits to receive medicine from a pharmacist at a clinic run by Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year and is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

A boy looks at an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Hostel Domus Alipio in Mexico City November 30, 2011. Hostel Domus Alipio, run by Catholic priest Luis Figueroa and a group of volunteers, provides shelter, medication and therapy to orphans as well as women and children from low-income families affected by HIV and AIDS. December 1 is World AIDS Day.  REUTERS/Carlos Jasso (MEXICO - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

A man lays in bed at the Hillcrest Aids Center Trust care center situated at Hillcrest on the outskirts of the city of Durban, South Africa, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. A film opening on World AIDS Day Thursday that mixes live action and animation is taking viewers inside a soccer player's body, showing how he becomes infected with HIV and spreads the virus. The cast and characters are Kenyan, Nigerian and South African, which producers hope will help the movie travel across the continent hardest hit by the disease. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

Blood samples are arranged for testing by a nurse in the HIV/AIDS ward of Beijing YouAn Hospital December 1, 2011. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China is soaring, state media said on Wednesday, citing health officials, with rates of infections among college students and older men rising. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued figures showing 48,000 new cases in China in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said. China's government was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes. World AIDS Day is on December 1.    REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: HEALTH ANNIVERSARY)

A girl lies on her bed at Hostel Domus Alipio in Mexico City November 30, 2011. Hostel Domus Alipio, run by Catholic priest Luis Figueroa and a group of volunteers, provides shelter, medication and therapy to orphans as well as women and children from low-income families affected by HIV and AIDS. December 1 is World AIDS Day. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso (MEXICO - Tags: HEALTH)

A pair of baby shoes and a soft toy are seen at a window of a dormitory at San Jose Hospice in Sacatepequez, about 45 km (27 miles) of Guatemala City, November 30, 2011. About 68 HIV-infected patients, between 44 days to 18 years old, receive free medical care at the hospice. Many of the children were found abandoned in markets, churches, fire stations, left neglected in hospitals or in some instances, brought in by their families who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. World AIDS day which falls on December 1 is commemorated across the world to raise awareness of the pandemic. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (GUATEMALA  - Tags: HEALTH SOCIETY)

Children attend a school class at the Nyumbani Children's Home for children with HIV, in Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. The orphanage, which is heavily reliant on foreign donations, cares for over 100 children with HIV whose parents died of the disease and provides them with housing, care, and antiretroviral medicine to stem the progress of the disease. World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year and is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) KENYA OUT

A mural in the shape of a tree is seen with the names of people who have died at the Hillcrest Aids Center Trust care center, situated at Hillcrest, on the outskirts of the city of Durban, South Africa, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. A film opening on World AIDS Day Thursday that mixes live action and animation is taking viewers inside a soccer player's body, showing how he becomes infected with HIV and spreads the virus. The cast and characters are Kenyan, Nigerian and South African, which producers hope will help the movie travel across the continent hardest hit by the disease. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)