A symposium was yesterday held at the YWCA Conference hall for children and young people attending school and other Institutions, on the theme “Ending AIDS by 2030, the role of young people”.
Speaking on the implication of the 2016, High Level Meeting for Sierra Leone, the Director-General of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) Alhaji Dr Momodu Sesay stated that despite the achievements made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, testing and treatment for children and young people is still low in the Country.
He said there is need to fast track, zooming in on children and young people, noting that over 22,000, between ages 15-24 years are living with HIV, which is about 2.4%.
Also 1/3 of the new infection rate is among the same age of 15-24 years who are sexually active.
Dr Sesay furthered that there is still more work to do to achieve, 90,90,90 which is 90% testing, 90% access to treatment, and 90% to maintain low viral load of the virus.
He disclosed that Government has given the secretariat a target mandate of 100% to address the issue of testing and treatment for children and young people, and the secretariat is scaling up to meet this challenge by 2030.
As the NAS Director-General encouraged children and young people to use condom or abstain, and say no to casual sex, he revealed that the level of awareness on the dangers of contracting HIV/AIDS is high, but the willingness to positive behavioural change is absent, as a result of poverty and the thirst for material luxury and comfort, many young girls as well as boys involve in various acts of sexual activity, which land them in “regret wharf”.
The good news Dr Momodu Sesay disclosed was that since the discovery of the virus many gains have been made and there is increase in life expectancy of people living with HIV, through improved access to ART’s.
In a disappointed mood, the NAS Director-General noted that out of over 50,000 people living with the virus, only about 14,000 are on treatment, which is not up to 50%.
He stressed on the need to eliminate mother to child transmission, and to improve on manpower to manage paediatric HIV cases.
In a power point presentation, Edmund Makieu from UNICEF outlined the many challenges the World is faced with to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030.
He said lack of access to sexual reproductive health including sexual violence among young people is another mode of transmission of the virus, and a threat to the elimination of the disease by 2030.
Mr Makieu stressed that there is a need to accelerate and invest more in education, citing that the high level of illiteracy in Sierra Leone is one of many deterrent factor responsible for the spread of the disease; especially in rural communities where most residents live in poverty.
Marie Benjamin is the Coordinator, Society for Women against AIDS Sierra Leone Chapter.
She spoke on the implication of the 2016 High Level Meeting for key populations in the country, who are commercial sex workers, Gays and Lesbians, including people who inject drugs.
Madam Benjamin added that youth aged 13-24 accounted for more than 1 in 5 new HIV diagnosis in 2014, young gay and bisexual males accounted for 8 in 10 HIV diagnosis among youth, and at the end of 2012, 44% of young people age 18-24 years are living with HIV and did not know they have the disease.
She also revealed that the country is ahead of addressing key populations of target groups who are within the age of 13-24.
During the interactive session the need for networking, Partnership and Coalition Building was highlighted and discussed, including fast tracking the AIDS response among young people in Sierra Leone.
The symposium was supported by UNAIDS, UNICEF, and Global Fund in collaboration with the National AIDS Secretariat.
By Ade Campbell
Thursday June 30, 2016
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