As part of this year’s 2012 World AIDS Day (WAD) which is on December 1, the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat (NAS) has set a target of testing 30,000 people and distributing 524,000 pieces of condom country-wide.
Addressing a Press briefing on WAD Theme and Key activities yesterday (26 Nov 12) at the NAS Conference hall in Freetown, the Director, Dr Brima Kargbo said WAD is a Day set aside by the United Nations in which a lot of awareness is created by member countries and a day in which those who died from the virus will be remembered.
He said that the global theme for this year’s Day is“Getting to the Three Zeros: Zero HIV New Infection, Zero Stigma and Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths”.
The Director stated that “we believe if we are to thrive as a nation, we should reduce the number of new infections in this country; ‘stopstigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS and also reduce death due to AIDS’.
Dr. Kargbo said that the national theme in consonance with the global theme is “Shared Responsibility and National Solidarity”.
He said that the Secretariat has come up with a series of activities which includes a live broadcast of His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma who is the chairman of the National AIDS Commission.
The Director reiterated that every year on the December 1, there will be a national broadcast and after that, there will be a rally from the West End of Freetown to the Miatta conference hall and those from the East end will converge at the Up-Gun turntable and march to the Miatta conference hall, where key partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS will make statements.
He said that they will also organise inter-agency football match on the 29th were key stakeholders will play each other to send out a message to the youths who are the most vulnerable.
The most important activity, he said, is the nationwide testing and free condom distribution.
Dr. Kargbo noted that after the World AIDS Day, they have post World AIDS Day activities which includes a quiz competition organised by NAS and UNICEF for children, adding that Sierra Leone has been recognised as a country that will be able to eliminate the mother to child transmission of the virus.
He said that another important activity is the Partnership Forum where partners will be able to discuss how the government can generate its own funds locally for a sustainable national response. Dr. Kargbo noted that a vigil and prayer session in Churches and Mosques will be held to remember those who have died from the virus.
The Director disclosed that for the year 2013, the Global Fund has approved the phase Two of Round 9, Grant of $ 49 Million for up to 2015.
UNAIDS Country Coordinator Sierra Leone, Dr Job, said that WAD is to show our commitment, we (partners) are contributing towards the fight against the virus.
It is a Memorial Day for all of us to remember those who died of the virus.
He thanked Sierra Leone for their performance in the fight against HIV and President Ernest Bai Koroma for his political commitment in the national response.
Dr. Job said that for this year’s WAD, we are very optimistic about achieving a high level, meeting the target by 2015, adding that Zero new infection is possible by 2015. Zero Death relating to HIV/AIDS is possible, Zero Discrimination and Stigmatization is possible by 2015.
The UNAIDS Country Director said that the other thing UNAIDS has observed through reports collected from other countries, is that countries have been able to achieve 60% of number of people on treatment.
In her statement, on testing for WAD 2012 Mrs. Mariama Marco Conteh HIV Counselling and Testing Coordinator said that we need testing to actually know those who are positive.
She said during the WAD campaign community people will be given the opportunity to access these testing facilities. The WAD campaign, she said, has already started on the 26th November and will end on the 2nd of December.
Mrs. Conteh said that testing is the first step to prevention, adding that our target for this year is 30,000 people countrywide in all the regions and 524,000 pieces of condoms will be distributed. She said that they have identified 100 testing teams country-wide and each team comprises three personnel, two counsellors and a motivator. These targets have been shared at regional level: the Northern Region will test 10,000, Eastern Region will test 6,000, Southern Region will test 6,500 and Western Region will test 7,500. The Coordinator said that in as much as they are having this campaign the routine testing is still going on in all our facilities.
AIDS Health care Foundation (AHF) Programme Manager Miatta Jambawai reiterated the importance of the Day and implored the media to join them to sensitize the people on testing.
NAS Children and AIDS Coordinator Dilys Thompson speaking on the partnership forum said that the forum is a post WAD activity and has been preceded by regional partnership forum in all the regions.
She said that some of the most innovative recommendations from the entire regional forum are resource mobilization.
Mrs. Thompson stated that the need to mobilise resources is to ensure that we have sustainable implementation of the national response, adding that the national partnership forum has its theme “Shared Responsibility and National Solidarity.
By Abibatu Kamara
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