The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) report 2013, which was recently published by Statistics Sierra Leone, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, omitted data on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country, although the main goal of the survey was to provide reliable estimates on health and demographic indicators in the areas of fertility, mortality, family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.
According to sources at the Health Ministry, blood samples of eligible respondents were obtained to test for HIV and other diseases, and were subsequently transmitted to the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory in Freetown for testing. The laboratory tests reveal lot of findings, but the report inexplicably failed to indicate the number of respondents with HIV/ AIDS or its prevalence in the country, a development a medical expert referred to as deceptive not only to the government and people of Sierra Leone but the international community, including Global Fund, which provides funding for sensitization and awareness about the pandemic, and prevention and care for those infected.
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