The drug internationally known for its high effectiveness in the treatment of HIV, is in use in Douala.
About 3,000 HIV patients are said to be under Tenofovir treatment at the Nylon Hospital. Tenofovir is a new drug used as first-line treatment of HIV. Following strides by government for its use in Cameroon, Tenofovir has come to be administered at the Nylon Hospital where at least 3,000 HIV/AIDS consultations have been recorded this year. The international NGO, Doctors Without Borders, has also put some of the patients in second-line treatment after determining their viral load.
Head of Mission for Doctors Without Borders, Faure Gaëlle, underscored the advantages of Tenofovir: “It’s easier to take, has fewer side effects than D4T which the HIV virus develops resistance to. After taking treatment for some time, we carry out viral load to determine the resistance of the virus and, if necessary, we proceed with the second-line treatment. This is proving very very effective.” The information was revealed at the Nylon Hospital where activities to celebrate the National AIDS Week, which culminated with the World AIDS Day on December 1, brought together HIV patients, medics, media and the general public. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day “HIV and Human Rights” was situated in the context that it is the right of the patient to have access to treatment. “Officially, from 2007 treatment should be free and affordable, but patients are still paying for treatment. In some places in Cameroon affordability and free access to HIV/AIDS treatment is not respected. Our objective is to fight against HIV by coming close to patients and do something; offer free screenings and enable them have access to better treatment,” she added.
Dr. Ndobo Pauline, Gynaeco-Obstetrician and Director of Nylon Hospital, encouraged preventive attitudes: “ We are demonstrating use of feminine an d masculine condoms, pre- and post test counseling, sensitization on how to maintain HIV negative status and how HIV patients can adopt responsible attitude to prevent further transmission or contacting other strains of the virus,” HIV prevalence rate in Cameroon currently stands at 5.3 percent, and young women of between 19 and 24 years are more infected than young men of the same age group.
