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On the afternoon of December 1, 2025, World AIDS Day, the Municipal Council for AIDS Prevention Puerto Vallarta (COMUSIDA), the Ambulatory Center for the Prevention and Care of AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (CAPASITS), and local public health authorities led a march to raise awareness regarding HIV/AIDS prevention, fight stigma, and honor the memory of those who have lost their lives to the disease.
Attendees arrived dressed in powerful red and held signs to advocate for important policy changes. The march was coordinated by Alfredo Soria, director of COMUSIDA. It began at the north end of the Puerto Vallarta Malecón, where members of the organizing institutions, activists, public servants, and members of the local community gathered. The event culminated with an emotional group photo forming the iconic red ribbon near the “El Caballito” sculpture and a powerful session of speeches at Los Arcos.
Some of the activists and authorities present included Victor Espíndola, director of Movii México; Saúl Ruiz Torres, coordinator of the HIV and STI Program; Sandra Rodriguez, coordinator of CAPASITS; Jaime Álvarez, general director of the 8th Sanitary Region; Miguel Ángel Suárez, director of health promotion in Puerto Vallarta, Ana Patricia Martínez, deputy director of Addiction Prevention; Miguel Buenrostro, medical director of Vallarta Gay Clinic; Sinaí Huerta, state coordinator of communicable diseases for the Secretariat of Health; Tania Olguín, head of the HIV program at the state level; Melissa Madero, councilwoman; and Pedro López, director of Vallarta Gay+ Community Center.
Jaime Álvarez mentioned, “When society eliminates stigma, people confidently approach health services. In recent decades, science has shown us that it is possible to control the epidemic. We have quick tests, effective treatments, and prevention strategies that save lives.”
Photos and video by Max Buendía
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