Yaounde – Stakeholders championing the fight against HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus – in the Centre Region have taken part in a sports walk. The walk through major streets in Yaoundé was aimed at sensitizing the population on the need to adopt measures that can bar the way to HIV and break the transmission chain.
Dr Abo’o Stephanie, Coordinator of Centre Regional Technical Group for the Fight against HIV says the walk was to inspire hope in people living with (PLHIV).
“We wanted to sensitize the populace to redress [all forms of] stigma and discrimination towards PLHIV. First off, It’s a walk of hope to all – that we can fight and end HIV in the region and beyond. Also, that people with HIV can live normal lives,” explained Dr Abo’o.
The walk was the peak of month-long activities dubbed “Cameroon AIDS Month” to mark the 2023 World AIDS Day under the theme “Let communities lead”.
According to Dr. Abo’o, the end of the activities for Cameroon AIDS Month is not an end to the fight against HIV, but a further call for all actors to put hands on deck and intensify activities in the communities. “We look forward to seeing communities not only taking the lead but continuously educate the community members on “U=U” – Undetectable = Untransmittable – concept.
Dr. Soh Florence, Care and Treatment Advisor of the CoSMO Project says when your [someone’s] viral load is detectable you [he/she] can’t transmit HIV to others. “As a community project, we want to take the lead in sensitizing those living with HIV to take their treatment well – so that their viral load is suppressed and undetectable. Hence, they wouldn’t be able to transmit it [HIV] to another person.
CoSMO is an acronym for Consolidating Systems and Services for the Management of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Cameroon. The CoSMO Project is implemented by the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon.
Quizzed on what communities can do in leading the fight against HIV, Mr. Titanji Abanda Nwachan, Community Strategy Coordinator at Georgetown University Global Health LLC, says communities can lead by identifying key problems [stalking the fight against HIV] and proposing common solutions through advocacy to duty-bearers. “Engaging community leaders and PLHIV is the way to go in this fight,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HIV is still a major public health problem in Cameroon. “In 2022, Cameroon was estimated to be home to 480 232 people living with HIV, with 9905 new cases recorded that year,” states WHO.
WHO further notes “Although still a major public health problem, recent encouraging progress includes a 50% decrease in HIV prevalence among people aged 15 to 64 in the past 14 years, according to the most recent Demographic Health Survey 2018 (DHS).”
