The campaign ends this weekend with over 2,700 people in Yaounde already screened for HIV.
Curtains for the 10th edition of the AIDS-Free Holidays campaign initiated by the First Lady of Cameroon, Mrs Chantal Biya, will be pulled down this weekend in all the 10 regions of the country. Although statistics indicate that more and more people are interested in knowing their HIV status, there is this sad news that girls are less interested in the exercise.
Yesterday, August 7, at the Messassi neighbourhood roundabout in Yaounde, a mobile unit of the AIDS-Free Holidays campaign group was seen carrying out free HIV screening of people. The tent they built at the Messassi junction alongside their yellow attire which carried the message “Youths: The Fight Against HIV Continues” attracted passers-by who came to see what they were doing. The campaign message which called on people to know their HIV status provoked some on-lookers to immediately undertake the free HIV screening test while collecting their results some 30 minutes later. One of the team leaders of the free HIV campaign from the Pan-African NGO: African Synergy against HIV and Suffering, Balbine Mvondo, said many people participated in the free HIV screening at the Messassi neighbourhood because they say it is paid for when done in a hospital or health structure.
Balbine Mvondo explained that although the campaign seeks to encourage more youths to know their HIV status, rather adults mostly between the ages of 30 to 40 come for the screening with men being in the majority. Another team leader of the AIDS-Free Holidays, Arsene Onana Ndougsa said it was difficult to encourage youths, particularly girls, on the importance of carrying out the HIV screening test. “Girls are still very resistant toward the HIV screening test,” Arsene Onana Ndougsa stressed. Although the campaign team was able to convince more girls unlike other years, it was also revealed that due to fear many people do not come back to collect their HIV results. While noting that most of the results are HIV negative, it was noted that if 10 people came for the screening, less than half of them come to collect their results.
Whatever the case, Arsene said the campaign went on smoothly since the climatic condition and little rain in Yaounde permitted the team to sensitise more than 5,000 youths, screened over 2,700 people while organising over 30 counselling groups on HIV in markets, football fields and other strategic areas in the capital city.
