By Aminata Phidelia Allie
United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Michael Owen says Sierra Leone is among the countries with the least HIV positive cases in Africa and possibly in the world.
Speaking at this year’s World AIDS Day commemoration in Freetown on Saturday, the US diplomat, whose country’s department of defense for HIV and AIDS prevention program (DHAPP) supports the Sierra Leone army's HIV and AIDS prevention program, told the army’s Joint Communication Unit at Wilberforce that the country’s position was promising.
“It shows that the three zeros, which is the theme for this year’s celebration (Zero new HIV Infection, Zero stigma and Zero AIDS deaths), could be met by 2015,” he said, adding that they had set up a number of laboratories where free HIV tests and treatment could be accessed.
Ambassador Owen said that they had also trained a number of peer educators who continue to take the message about HIV/AIDS around the country. These peer educators, he said, were mostly for soldiers and their families. The embassy has also provided twelve brand new motor bikes to help them in their transportation struggle, he said.
He said the DHAPP had a long-term partnership with RSLAF and their programs comprised several elements with a support totaling US$ 700,000 per year.
Executive Director of the Network of HIV Positives in Sierra Leone (NETHIPS), Idrissa Songo, observed that to address the problem of HIV/AIDS every form of stigma must be discouraged. He said that people living with the virus should be able to live a happy and longer life.
Songo went on that “the entrenched clause 2.7 in the armed forces law, which prohibits HIV positive persons from undertaking peacekeeping missions or doing any border patrols, should be cut off because these people need to feel like they are a part of society.” He said many people prefer to live an ignorant life than get tested and be stigmatized.
