By Ruth Yeabu Sesay
The Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed O. Bangura says people should stop discriminating against those affected by HIV/AIDS because they did not buy the disease and should rather be treated fairly.
Speaking at an event to mark World AIDS Day held in Freetown yesterday December 1, Bangura said young people should also be included in decision- making in various spheres of society.Various speakers stressed the need to end discrimination against those infected with the disease.
They said children represent 15% of victims of AIDS related deaths and for the necessary drugs be made available to combat the disease in the country.
They stated that Covid must not be used as an excuse to scale back on the response for HIV/AIDS because the virus is real and is taking lives to the grave every day
The National HIV/AIDS Secretariat (NAS) together with partners organized the commemorative event at the Milton Margai Technical University Campus to educate people on how to live positively with the disease and also admonished those who are not infected on the measures that they should take so that they may not get infected.
The event was attended by representatives from United Nations Aids, the Minister of Health, the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone and officials from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under the US Government.
NAS has launched a “condomize campaign” in order to help adolescent boys and girls who are not positive not to have the virus. Meanwhile representatives from the Network of HIV Positives (NETHIPS) used the moment to appeal for the release of their container of drugs stuck at the Freetown Port so they could treat patients.
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