KNOW YOUR STATUS EARLY, LIVE LONG
KNOW YOUR STATUS EARLY, LIVE LONG
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
This year’s World AIDS Day has been observed at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region with a call on all people to test early to know their HIV/AIDS status in order to begin treatment early to prolong their lives. The president of NAP+, an association of persons leaving with AIDS [PLWAs] in the Upper East region, Madam Teni Ayupwaadu made the call in a statement to a gathering at the launch of world AIDS day.
Madam Ayupwaadu said she was glad to know her status early because ever since she discovered her positive status, she has been on antiretroviral treatment which has kept her healthy and strong all the while.
She called on spouses to share their status with their partners instead of secretly spreading the disease to them. She also advised school children to desist from premarital sex while advising those of age to use condom if they are not able to resist the temptation to have sex.
Upper East Regional minister, Honourable Mark Owen Woyongo in a keynote address noted that the world AIDS day which was set aside by the United Nations to be celebrated annually is to constantly remind all nations of the pandemic and to advocate for more efforts to curb its spread and reduce its negative socio-economic impact.
The regional minister observed in his address that HIV/AIDS has over the years defied all scientific researches to find a cure and expressed contempt against people who perceive HIV/AIDS persons as condemned human beings. He said rather, care and love must be extended to people living with AIDS so that they feel discriminated in society.
Honourable Woyongo noted that about 90 per cent of all HIV/AIDS infected persons in the country are between 25 and 49 years adding that this is a threat to the nation’s future since the youth constitute the majority of affected persons. He pledged government’s resolve to support all programmes geared towards eradicating HIV/AIDS.
Presenting a situation report on the disease in the region, the Upper East regional director of health services, Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams noted that HIV prevalence in the region stands at 2.0 per cent which exceeds the national prevalence rate of 1.7 per cent. He disclosed that nearly 10,000 people are living with the disease in the region.
Dr. Awoonor-Williams revealed that 24 HIV associations exist in the Upper East region with a total membership of 1,560 people living with the disease. He said these associations have been receiving support from the Global Fund to hold monthly meetings among other things. The director encouraged many more people living with AIDS to join the associations in order to benefit from all the assistance that is available to PLWAs.
The regional health director indicated that six hospitals across the region offer antiretroviral drugs to PLWAs while there are plans to open six satellite clinics so as to increase access to HIV/AIDS drugs. Meanwhile, 100 health facilities provide voluntary counseling and testing services and also undertake prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Touching on this year’s theme “Universal access and Human rights”, Dr. Awoonor noted that the violations of rights of PLWAs fuels the spread of AIDS and called for the protection of human rights of PLWAs at all times as one among many ways of reducing the spread of the disease.
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
This year’s World AIDS Day has been observed at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region with a call on all people to test early to know their HIV/AIDS status in order to begin treatment early to prolong their lives. The president of NAP+, an association of persons leaving with AIDS [PLWAs] in the Upper East region, Madam Teni Ayupwaadu made the call in a statement to a gathering at the launch of world AIDS day.
Madam Ayupwaadu said she was glad to know her status early because ever since she discovered her positive status, she has been on antiretroviral treatment which has kept her healthy and strong all the while.
She called on spouses to share their status with their partners instead of secretly spreading the disease to them. She also advised school children to desist from premarital sex while advising those of age to use condom if they are not able to resist the temptation to have sex.
Upper East Regional minister, Honourable Mark Owen Woyongo in a keynote address noted that the world AIDS day which was set aside by the United Nations to be celebrated annually is to constantly remind all nations of the pandemic and to advocate for more efforts to curb its spread and reduce its negative socio-economic impact.
The regional minister observed in his address that HIV/AIDS has over the years defied all scientific researches to find a cure and expressed contempt against people who perceive HIV/AIDS persons as condemned human beings. He said rather, care and love must be extended to people living with AIDS so that they feel discriminated in society.
Honourable Woyongo noted that about 90 per cent of all HIV/AIDS infected persons in the country are between 25 and 49 years adding that this is a threat to the nation’s future since the youth constitute the majority of affected persons. He pledged government’s resolve to support all programmes geared towards eradicating HIV/AIDS.
Presenting a situation report on the disease in the region, the Upper East regional director of health services, Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams noted that HIV prevalence in the region stands at 2.0 per cent which exceeds the national prevalence rate of 1.7 per cent. He disclosed that nearly 10,000 people are living with the disease in the region.
Dr. Awoonor-Williams revealed that 24 HIV associations exist in the Upper East region with a total membership of 1,560 people living with the disease. He said these associations have been receiving support from the Global Fund to hold monthly meetings among other things. The director encouraged many more people living with AIDS to join the associations in order to benefit from all the assistance that is available to PLWAs.
The regional health director indicated that six hospitals across the region offer antiretroviral drugs to PLWAs while there are plans to open six satellite clinics so as to increase access to HIV/AIDS drugs. Meanwhile, 100 health facilities provide voluntary counseling and testing services and also undertake prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Touching on this year’s theme “Universal access and Human rights”, Dr. Awoonor noted that the violations of rights of PLWAs fuels the spread of AIDS and called for the protection of human rights of PLWAs at all times as one among many ways of reducing the spread of the disease.
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