Vop-pop: What Should Be Done To Effectively Combat HIV/AIDS?

Compiled by Chris Mbunwe, Walter Wilson Nana, Francis Tim Mbom, Olive Ejang Tebug Njoh, Edith Wirdze & Eugene Che

More Sensitisation Needed!
Despite the fact that we have come this far in the fight against AIDS, we still need to sensitise a lot more people.

Primarily, sensitisation should be a continuous exercise, not intermittent. And everybody who is found to be HIV positive should be put on prompt treatment. Besides, everybody should know their HIV status. It is known that if everybody knew their status then, those sero-positive are put on treatment, then the virus spread would considerably reduce.

In Cameroon for instance, we are not employing people who are adequately trained to do sensitization; we are not employing people who are adequately trained to manage HIV programmes. So follow-up is poor, sensitisation is haphazard and that is why we are not getting the required results.

If we look at the success stories that we have, in countries like Uganda where sensitisation has been the order of the day and treatment is given promptly, you find that the prevalence of the virus has reduced there. It can also reduce in Cameroon.
Dr. Ekema Anjorin, Hill Crest Group Clinic, Limbe

List Of Patients Should Be Published
If the government wants to adequately fight against HIV/AIDS, the list of infected persons should be published for people to know them and shun sexual intercourse with them. HIV/AIDS has been on the rise because the patients are protected. This has made them pass on the disease to sevearal people unknowingly.

The issue of avoiding stigmatisation of patients has led to an increase of the pandemic in all quarters. Also, parents should be bold enough to eduacte their children on sex education. Health science should be an integral part of the school curriculum, while free condoms should not be distributed to students. They should be educated on abstinence instead. Youths too, should concentrate on income-generating activities to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Gladys Etchu-Njang, GBHS, Kumba

Target Villages
I think if we want to effectively fight HIV/AIDS in the country, more focus should be directed to our villages and camps. Most villagers are vulnerable to the pandemic because they are not educated on the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Also, people should be trained on the proper use of condoms because most people use the same condoms several times. People should also do HIV screening to know their status and protect themselves against the pandemic.
Bertin Tsakeng, CEO, BEVDETA, Kumba

Parent-Child Sensitisation
The government should sensitize parents on HIV/AIDS through door-to-door campaign. This would enable parents to properly teach their children the dangers of the pandemic and how to avoid it. Besides, since the local AIDS control committees have failed nationally, njangi houses, meeting groups and NGOs should be used for sensitisation.

The government should also fight prostitution by prosecuting those in the trade. This would make our youths work hard and the rate of promiscuity would drop, thus HIV/AIDS prevalence would be reduced.
Bernard Syangkalbe, Tropical Medicine Research Station, Kumba District Hospital

Eradicate Poverty
The only way HIV/AIDS can be effectively dealt with in Cameroon is to eradicate poverty. Most female youths go out for sex with men to have money, thereby contracting HIV/AIDS. If these youths were employed, they wouldn't go selling sex. Also, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS has been rife because people don't know how to properly use condoms.

So, the free distribution of condoms without proper knowledge of their usage has endangered the population. Moreso, HIV/AIDS should be included in the secondary school curriculum. This would empower the youths with knowledge on sexuality, prevention and transmission of HIV/AIDS. The government should equally target churches and family meetings for sex education.

This would help curb the spread of the pandemic. People should also stop attributing HIV/AIDS to witchcraft, to reduce the rate of prevalence.
Dr. Elvis Takang, Healthcare Diagnostic Clinic, Kumba

Involve Students
Students should learn to say no to things which are not right. Do not be tempted to do sex when it is not your time. Since the Church depends on people and it needs people for its work, it must have a primary interest in the health of the population. When the population is healthy, the potential of the Church is high and that of the nation.

The young people are the leaders of tomorrow, they will be the decision makers of the Church and the nation. We have strong concerns for their health, for we are told they are the target group for HIV/AIDS. We are interested that they know what HIV/AIDS is all about and they should be part of the fight.
Rt/Rev. Dr Nyansako-Ni-Nku, PCC Moderator, Buea

Involve Tradi-practitioners
We the traditional healers have also been contributing our lot in the fight against this pandemic. We are enlightening the population to know that there is a difference between HIV and AIDS. WHO (World Health Organisation) statistics have it that 80 percent of Africans rely on traditional medicine for survival.

WHO has also been encouraging member countries and governments to promote the use of traditional medicine in their countries. AIDS is beyond a health issue. It is more an economic and political issue. We must use the holistic approach to combat HIV/AIDS. We have embarked on education. Those who only rely on medicine will fail.
Richard Fru, Garden of Eden Institute of Natural Medicine

Identifying The Problems
I think the main way is to identify the problems. The methods of combating the disease should be in conformity with our environment. If we don't have significant improvement, it is because, most often, we use the Western ways, which are not adaptable to our society.

Fighting the ill is difficult in developing world because of absence of frank discussions and the way information is diffused. Information is not well targeted and statistics are even conflicting. Everyone should be tested: patients who complain of other illnesses should be tested during consultations. Families should do testing for all members to know the status of everyone.

Then, before marriage, couples should do the test in order to determine their status and decide on what they are moving in for. Women should be empowered. They are the most affected yet they don't take decisions on issues affecting their health. I think the government has to come up with laws empowering women such as the ban of child marriage and punishment for violences against women because they are more vulnerable.

There is conflict between religion, government and traditional institutions. For people who are not yet married, the churches preach for abstinence while the government promotes the use of condoms. With sensitivity to sexual stimuli, which is high due to exposure to TV, Internet, it is vital to see the angle from which abstinence can be tackled.

The educational system should come out with standards on sexual education administer in levels. Then, people should avoid collective use of equipment such as shaving machines, blades and needles that can transmit the virus.
Dr. Henry Bisong Besong-Egbe, Clinic Espoir, Essos, Yaounde

Look Up To God
To combat HIV, we need to regulate our relationship in tune with God. That is one thing that will help us not only to combat HIV, but to combat other social vices. For us to combat HIV, we have to completely revise certain concepts like love.

Many people have completely misconceived love to mean materialism, sex and promiscuity and all kinds of things. For instance, when you talk about abstinence to some people, it is like heresy. Sincerely; we have to take two things seriously, God and abstinence.
Alfred Ewane, Senior Translator

More Sensitisation
To combat HIV, I think we should put more emphasis on sensitisation. People should be called up and talked to about HIV. I think people have not yet understood what HIV is. Another thing which should be targeted is the rate of unemployment in the country.

When young boys and girls complete studies, some of them cannot find jobs and they are tempted to go prostituting. If the government could at least sensitise these youths and create a means of living for them, then the rate of HIV could drastically reduce, and one day, it might be completely eradicated.
Maurice Djeudom, NGO of Taximen

More Preaching!
I think for us to combat HIV, we need to start from the homes. All the families should be able to know exactly what HIV is. From there, the sensitisation should be carried to the rest of our daily activities.

If HIV could be preached at every occasion just like a prayer is said before every meal, then we could be halfway on the way to eradicating HIV. It is also necessary for researchers on this virus to do all to find a cure for this disease. I believe until we have a cure, we will never combat HIV.
Rose, Nurse, HIV/AIDS Unit, Laquintinie Hospital, Douala

Use The Media
To me the media are very crucial in the eradication of this virus. The media should create much more anti-HIV programmes and educative talks on the issue, since they reach a greater part of the population. And then, all stakeholders in the fight against HIV need to keep to their promise in taking the lead in the fight against HIV as suggested by this year's theme.
Tchounang, Nurse, Laquintinie, Douala

Fidelity, Abstinence Are Best
I think that for us to talk about eradicating HIV now is but being a bit too hasty. Nevertheless it is necessary for people to adopt responsible sexual behaviours. That is to say, for those who are married, they should adopt fidelity as a philosophy, just like abstinence for those who are single.

This is very necessary because the use of preservatives rather causes confusion and spreads the virus the more. Thus the two best methods for me are abstinence and fidelity. And this should be encouraged mostly for the youthful population since they are the most vulnerable group.  
Edith Tchapou, Laquintinie

Practise Fidelity, Abstinence
The first thing is fidelity. Then, the next is abstinence. I understand that there are some people who advocate the use of condoms but that is not important to me. Some unmarried people go as far as having sexual intercourse without condoms. People should also know that it is important to do the HIV test before getting married.

If the test is negative, fine. But if it is positive, then you have no choice. Some people have decided to go ahead to marry HIV positive wives, that is their choice, but they have to be careful and take anti-retrovirals often.
Bantoum Jean, Fire Brigade, Douala

The most effective way of combating HIV/AIDS pandemic is prevention because as of now there is no drug that can cure the disease.  If people prevent themselves from being infected, the disease will not exist; prevention cannot fail, because for every problem on earth if you avoid getting yourself involved in the problem, the problem will not meet you.
Dr. Godlove Nyamndi – Northwest Regional Coordinator for The Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Serious sensitization of the population making them to be aware that HIV/AIDS is ravaging the old and the young can be the most effective means of fighting this disease.  Let behaviour change in sexually active people should be permanent.  Then there is voluntary testing and counseling which is of great help so that you know your HIV status.  If you get this done and you are tested positive, you will build a fence around you so that you do not go around infecting people or re-infecting yourself again.
Mme Emelda Chiamba Nkwain- Nurse-in-charge, Day Hospital Bamenda

The first effective way of combating HIV/AIDS is getting to know your status so that if you are negative, then you should live a positive life.  But if you are tested positive treat yourself and live positively and in this way we can fight HIV effectively.
Mr. Hycinth Njobara- CBC Nkwen Health Board HIV/AIDS counselor

I think the most effective way to me is behavioural change.  If our community can change their sexual behaviour we will go a long way in chasing out HIV.  Another way of fighting HIV/AIDS most effectively is preventing the spread to unborn children.  How can this be done?  When the mothers are pregnant, the nurses try as much to follow them up and give them antiretroviral drug that will prevent the virus from being transmitted to the baby.  In so doing we make sure those children who are delivered to positive women will come out without HIV, and so the rate of HIV will be reduced.

Mrs. Philipa Nana- Nurse Mbingo Annex HIV AIDS Treatment Centre

Comments

[Altruist]

Impose on the girls to stop prostitution and PURITY should be practiced. Heck, when did sexual immorality because the norm of our society? what happened to women PURITY?

I am in Finland and there is an incident that Cameroonian girls were deliberately infected with HIV-AIDS by some Nigerian boys because the girls will sell their bodies for money. That is outright prostitution and I ashame the girls to stop such unthinkable prostitution and practice PURITY. This phenomenon is not isolated only in Finland. All over Europe, Asia and other places, Cameroonian girls are behind the door prostitutes. In Western Europe, Cameroonian girls deliberately prostitute with mean prison-to-be customer Nigerian illegal drug criminals in the name that they pay them money. So, How can we be talking of tackling AIDS when girls willingly sell their bodies and even deliberately get infected?

It is common sense to know that none of them practice safe sex because record numbers of Cameroonian girls in Europe and pregnant withe the children of Nigerian petty illegal drug criminals. I get sick when I hear that they do so for money when they can work in Europe and get their own money.

I will no longer stomach this miserable evil that is growing to a monster. I wonder if our hard working parents got into all the hardship to send us to Europe to come and prostitute with Nigerian illegal drug criminals? I am wondering!!!

These girls even have the audacity to be bragging with this despeakable acts. This is a race towards societal suicide and must be stopped.

Mothers/Fathers, if you have you girl child in Europe, please please please give an automatum for her not to indulge in this prostituting lifestyle. There is nothing desirable about it.

My position again is that PURITY should be practiced and if these girls must date, then they should do well to date within their society so that one can be able to trace this HIV-AIDS crisis.

I am deeply ashame of the type of lifestyle these girls in Europe are indulge in.

[mk the southerner]

The best way is to stop deceiving the people about condoms.

[strange]

This is what ought to be. A disease comes up like aids and plagues the hell out of us and we race to look for the cure. Cure Cure Cure. We put our researchers together, give them what they need and have them look for a cure. There is not a single disease without a cure. Not even one. Why is it then that in the case of aids all the people that have been trained to cure are now preaching prevention? What have hospitals got to do with prevention. Their business is with what could not be prevented. Is prevention medicine not a whole branch of its own? could it be that it is because there is so much money in it? is anybody interested in curing any disease these days? We all know how strong the sexual instict is. Put it together with a couple of beers and no one care about aids. "Altruist" is not so altruistic when he looks only at the edge Nigerian boys have over him with his cameroonian girls and fails to see what pressure these girls are under. The real pimps so far are these girls are concered are their parents. How do you send your young girl away into the wild and keep placing impossible responsibily on her head. When her parents and her family keep calling her with their problems what are they expecting? I have lived i europe and I know exactly what he is talking about and while I share his anger, my blames go somewhere else. Aids is a disease and the solution is a cure. Prevention is good but after so long it is becomes a cry of defeat.

[Papa Mama]

Sex is not what it used to be, like in the 1970s, when you could get gonorrhea. They winked, gave you a shot and that was it. Then along came Chlamydia, tricky but still treatable. Syphilis was scary but treatable. Herpes is not curable but it is mainly a nuisance for adults but can damage and kill babies.

Then, there is AIDS. A lot of money has been thrown at it. There is treatment, very expensive, that you can take for life, but there is NO CURE. It is a virus, and viruses are very difficult, because they actually live inside our cells.

My point, Mr Strange, is that screwing anyhow and with everybody is a very bad idea. There is a zoo out there that wants to live on your dick or use it as a conduit to destroy other people. Use a condom or change your lifestyle. The world refuses to afford those expensive antiHIV drugs for everybody, so a lot of unfortunate people are going to die. The best thing is to cut off your device and put it in a fridge.

[Churchill Elangwe : Electrical Engineer Rochester, New York]

I absolutely agree with the comments you guys made. I think the key is education. People needs to be educated on this issue.