Concord Times (Freetown)
Christopher Cole
8 February 2010
Freetown — While briefing the press on the outcome of the World Aids Day campaign 2009 which has the theme "Help Protect Your Baby, Get Tested For HIV", the Director of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS) Dr. Brima Kargbo Friday January 29 thanked the media for the pivotal role played in ensuring the success of NAS.
"We believe that the information the press disseminated has gone a long way in helping prevention, abstinence, and the use of condom," he said.
Dr. Kargbo noted that so far, the government has partly addressed the issues of universal access, human rights and People Living With AIDS PLWA are now protected by the law.
He also informed the press that cabinet has approved the HIV Prevention and Control Bill which will soon be tabled before parliament for deliberations..
He stated that the selection of the World Aids Day theme was borne out of the idea that transmission from mother to child is the most pathetic situation that could happen to an innocent child which ought not to be the case.
"We now want the husbands to be tested too which is the desire of gender activists to change the mother to child infection from parent to child since the woman is impregnated by the husband," he said.
A biased survey conducted between 25th November to 15th December, 2009 which tested nine thousand eight hundred and fourteen people (9,814) from ninety sites (five from each district) in the country tested two thousand five hundred and nineteen (2,519) male and seven thousand two hundred and nineteen (7,219) women.
Two hundred and seventy six (276) tested positive of which one hundred and eighty one (181) were female and ninety five (95) were male.
Speaking on behalf of UNAIDS, Ms Salamatu Massaquoi said they have targeted 2010 as the year for universal access and human rights to be achieved.
Arnold Macaulay of Network Movement for People Living with HIV/AIDS thanked NAS for the provision of the anti-retroviral drugs and their role in the provision of therapeutic centers.
He stated that stigma and misconceptions about HIV previously pushed people to commit suicide and led to isolation. He pleaded with NAS to increase the supply of the anti-retroviral drugs in order to ensure a drop in the prevalence.
The discussion session ended with questions and answers as pertinent issues were addressed by NAS and its partners.
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