By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Director General of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS) in Sierra Leone, Abdul Rahman Sesay has said seventy-six thousand Sierra Leoneans are living with HIV and AIDS.
Sesay made this statement in an interview with Politico on 29th November 2023 ahead of the commemoration of HIV Day, today December 1st of every year.
Speaking about the prevalence of the virus in Sierra Leone, he said the prevalence rate is 1.7 percent, mostly people aged fifteen to forty-nine years. “These are the prevalence rates that we derive from the demographic and health survey, and this is the prevalence rate that we have been going with until they conduct a new prevalence study,” he said.
He said they have identified key populations with a higher prevalence rate. Female sex workers account for 11.8 percent, homosexuals 3.2 percent, people injecting drugs 4.2 percent, and the prison population 3.7 percent.
He said women are more affected by HIV than men. “For men, the HIV prevalence rate is 1.1 percent and for females 2.2 percent,” Sesay said.
“The numbers of HIV patients have not been increasing,” he however said.
He said there are over sixty thousand HIV patients that are on treatment, emphasizing that does not mean the number of HIV patients is increasing. He said over sixty thousand infected are on treatment but said they would want to include all seventy-six thousand Sierra Leoneans living with HIV/AIDS, underlying the importance that a patient will experience viral suppression after medications for three months.
Sesay said the virus is exploding in terms of infection rate, with patients now living much longer, as they move towards epidemic control.
“All along in Sierra Leone, since the response started, we have been giving HIV an adult face,” he said, adding that they want to let the public know that children are living with HIV, who they believe are a “prioritized population.”
He spoke of their engagement with the Judiciary of Sierra Leone for the establishment of an Equality Court that will address the issue of stigmatization and discrimination of persons living with HIV.
On stigmatization of HIV patients, he said that has been a challenge they have tried to address. “It was a barrier inhibiting people to access treatment. So on the basis of that, we have engaged with the judiciary, and now the judiciary is prepared to help us,” he said, adding the Equality Court will address not only cases for HIV but any ailment.
One of the issues that came out in the engagement with the Judiciary, he said was to have a guide for the judiciary.
With the setting up of the court, he said more people living with HIV/AIDS will be showing up, thus knowing they are protected from stigmatization. “If anyone stigmatizes an HIV patient, he is going against the laws of Sierra Leone and we have backing from the Judiciary for the case to be prosecuted,” he emphasized.
He said they don’t want communities to identify patients, emphasizing the sensitivity of social protection.
On financial support to HIV patients, Sesay said they are working with the National Commission for Social Action for patients to benefit from the cash transfer project.
He said the celebration of this Year’s World Aids Day could be deferred in Sierra Leone due to the current security situation.” Of all the partners of HIV and AIDS, we have to relook whether we should go ahead with the celebration or defer it,” he added.
Sesay said they “normally” celebrate World Aids Day to reflect on the gains, challenges, and prospects in moving forward.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (01/12/23)
