The number of HIV positive people in Bulgaria totals 623, according to the latest registers, experts announced on the AIDS International Candlelight Memorial.

AIDS has already killed over 280 Bulgarians, but many believe that the number of infected is three to five times bigger than reflected in official registers.

Bulgarians marked Sunday the AIDS International Candlelight Memorial with the end of a campaign for free and anonymous HIV testing, that was started December 1, 2005.

Sofia had planned a series of events, aimed at expressing reverence and compassion towards the AIDS victims. Participants also wanted to attract society's attention to the problems that the pandemic brings.

The Candlelight Memorial started in the capital with a memorial service commemorating all the victims of the pandemic. Volunteers then headed towards three posts in the centre of the capital, where they will spend the day adoring passers by with red ribbons and handing out information leaflets.

The culmination of the day took place around a ribbon shaped flowerbed where people gathered with candles for a wake at nine in the evening. Everyone can show compassion, organizers urge, by placing a lit candle at their window at nine.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is a program of the Global Health Council, and the oldest AIDS awareness campaign in the world. Each year, memorials are held every third Sunday of May in more than 93 countries.

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