— NAC Boss Discloses Mont, Bassa, And Margibi Recorded Highest
IPNEWS: As Liberia joins the World in celebrating World AIDS day on December 1, 2022, the Chairperson of the National Aids Commission of Liberia over 34,358 people living in Montserrado, Margibi, and Grand Bassa counties with the highest HIV prevalence among the fifteen counties accounting for about 70% of the burden of disease in Liberia.
Speaking at the Program in Paynesville the NAC Boss Theodosia S. Kolee, the Annual death rate as a result of AIDS-related complications in Liberia is put at 900, while 1,000 persons get infected with HIV every year.
She stated that the 2018 Integrated Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Survey (IBBSS), indicates a high HIV prevalence among key and vulnerable populations in the country showing that men who have sex with men account for 37.9% of HIV prevalence, 9.6% for People Who Inject Drugs (PWIDs, 14.4% for transport workers and 16.7% for female sex workers.
The National AIDs commission boss stressed the need for more effort if the 2030 goal should be achieved.
The National AIDS Commission of Liberia in collaboration with the National AIDS and STI control program and partners Commemorates World AIDS Day 2022 with the Global Theme “Equalize “, and the National Theme: “End qualities, End HIV I’m Liberia”.
“The third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3) has a target to end the epidemic of HIV/AIDS by 2030 (Project 2030). This will be achieved when the number of new HIV infections and ‘AIDS-related deaths decline by 90% between 2010 and 2030″
Madam Kolee said, “the unprecedented rise in HIV prevalence among these key groups of people calls for rigorous effort and collaboration from all sectors of the country to ensure that no one is left behind in responding to this health problem.”
“There is no way we can end AIDS by 2030 as a public health threat when stigma and discrimination still remain major storming blocks that are not brought under control; this is why collective effort is required,” Madam Kolee added.
The commission wants policymakers, state actors, and partners to take bold, deliberate, and strong political actions if they must end AIDS by 2030. Increase the availability, quality, and suitability of services, for HIV treatment, testing, and prevention, so that everyone is well-served.
The National Aids Commission also wants reform laws, policies, and practices to tackle the stigma and exclusion faced by people living with HIV and by key and marginalized populations so that everyone is shown respect and is welcomed as well as allow communities to make use of and adapt the “Equalize” message to highlight the particular inequalities they.
She added that to reduce stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV and key populations, the National Aids Commission has revealed plans to launch a US$1 rally to raise domestic funding to address the gap identified in the National Strategic Plan implementation among others.
Making a remark at the Celebration the Mission Director of USAID said that based on WHO reports over 40 million died from HIV in the past 40 years and it is based on people not having access to treatment.
Jim Wright said Stigma and Discrimination are serious problems that need to be taken care of by not the national government if they must reach the 95-95-95 target in this fight.
He said as a country and people it is time that we all help the government to end HIV/AIDS and that can be done with the support of all Liberian and international Partners.
“Know your Status as a human to prevent HIV and HIV”.
Serving as keynote speaker at this year’s celebration acting head of the Cabinet Cllr. Frank Musa Dean said it is time that we end all forms of stigma and discrimination against key populations I’m other to reach our 2030 goal as a country.
He said the issue of health is a constitutional right for all of Liberia as such people should stop stigmatizing propel who have HIV by doing that will only allow us to go back to where we were as a country in the past time.
Cllr. Dean said health facilities that are in the hobbit of not allowing the key population to have access to health care need to stop and the privacy of those who seek medication at that facility needs to be respected by all caregivers.
The Justice Minister then promised that as a head of the Justice ministry he going to make sure that the rights of people living with HIV are respected, the only way we can end AIDS is for all of us to do our tests and know our status. By Taisah K.Merfee
