NW Governor Hands Biya’s Condolence Message to Health Personnel

NW Gov. with Peer Educators

The President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya has extended through North West Governor, his condolences to  Health Personnel of the Region and bereave families that are suffering from the current crisis in the Health Centres and Districts

The Governor handed the message to the Regional Delegate of Public Health and his collaborators as he officially launched the 2018 AIDS Free Holidays on the theme; ” Android Generation Click on HIV Testing.”

The peer educators were challenged to caution their peers NOT to be vectors of the HIV Virus, a disease that affects greatly the age group of 15 to 25 years.

To the parents, the Governor called on them to send their children to school, "Idleness is the devil’s workshop and such idleness can result to children being exposed to carriers of the virus since there is limited or no parental control during such periods"

According to a recent survey by CAMPHIA ( Cameroon Population Based HIV Impact Assessment), the Region has witnessed a drop in the prevalence rate from 6.3% to 5.1%. Dr Tayong Gladys, the focal person for the fight against HIV says regular checkups and safe sexual practice will further reduce the prevalence rate of the disease. The girl child from 15 to 24 years is mostly infected about nine times more than boys their age with a prevalence rate of 6.8 % as compared to 2.9% for boys

Dr Tayong Gladys

The peer educators have adopted the meet- the- youths approach, advice them to get themselves tested and know their serology status, practice safe sex by using the condom and abstaining generally from sex

They have been carrying out the education now for one week and will continue for the next two weeks

The AIDS Free Holidays is an initiative of the First Lady, Madam Chantal Biya with an objective of recording ZERO new cases of the virus

Cameroon has a prevalence rate of 4.3%. The region is making great strides to fall below the National Prevalence rate

By Ndi Tsembom Elvis