By Walter Wilson Nana
The Provincial Coordinator, Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Southwest, Dr. Rose Chia Fonchingong, has stated that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high in the Southwest Province.
Youths marching in awareness of HIV/AIDS
She made the revelation Monday, November 26, at Bongo Square, Buea, where activities to launch this year's Cameroon AIDS Week for the Province unfolded."Officially, it is at eight percent. Out of over 8,800 women as against 11,500 men screened in the different villages and towns of the Southwest Province in 2007, 929 of them were positive with 541 women against 370 men.
This gives a female prevalence rate of six percent as
opposed to three percent for males. Officially the prevalence is
11percent for females against 5.1 percent for males," she said
Dr. Fonchingong expressed worry that fewer women come out for free
Voluntary Counselling and Testing, VCT, as compared to men and so far
this is the only method to measure change of behaviour.
She reminded the population that Cameroon's AIDS Week is a week of
reflection on how to show leadership by halting the progress of HIV and
its ravaging effects in our communities.
The medic had this definition of leadership as seen in this year's
theme; Leadership: Stop AIDS: Keep The Promise; "Significant advances
in the response to HIV have been achieved when there is strong and
committed leadership.
Leaders are distinguished by their actions, innovations and visions, their personal example and engagement of others and their perseverance in the face of obstacles and challenges. Therefore, leadership must be demonstrated at every level to get ahead of the epidemic in families, communities, councils, provinces and in the country."
She commended the youths and the peer educators in particular for their leadership qualities in the fight against HIV/AIDS."If there is any group that has taken the challenge seriously, it is the youths, especially school going ones. The prevalence within this age group is stabilising and in some instances regressing.
From August-September 2007, 6555 youths between ages 15-24 were screened for HIV, out of these 161 were found positive, giving a prevalence of 2.5 percent as compared to six percent two years ago."
Fonchingong observed that there has been considerable change of behaviours among young people."They are abstaining and sexual debut is being postponed. They are using condoms with non-regular sex partners while many of them are coming out voluntarily for counselling and testing," she noted.
She cautioned that though the Antiretroviral, ARV, drugs have come and fewer persons are dying, "this does not mean that the virus has been eliminated. It is still there and if we do not continue and maintain the prevention strategies, the virus will continue to circulate and the chain of infection will continue as in a vicious cycle."
The Provincial Delegate of Public Health, Southwest, Dr. Martin Njie Mafany, said pre-therapeutic and follow-up tests have dropped from FCFA 21,000 before 2006 to FCFA 3000 now. "From May 2007, ARV drugs are free for diagnosed patients," he said.
He made a plea to the population of the Southwest to be part of the free counselling and free voluntary testing in the treatment units all over the Province."There will also be free management and follow-up of sero-positive cases," he advised.
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