The plaza in front of the headquarters of Synergies Africaines contre le Sida et les Souffrances in Yaoundé served as the venue on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, for the official launch of the “Vacances Sans Sida” campaign. The colorful and lively ceremony was presided over by H.E. ALIM HAYATOU, Secretary of State to the Minister of Public Health in charge of the fight against epidemics and pandemics. In his remarks, the Representative of the Minister of Public Health and President of the National Committee for the Fight Against AIDS praised the initiative of the First Lady of Cameroon, who, despite the international health crisis that has not spared our country, was determined to uphold a tradition: that of providing young people with a forum to raise awareness among their peers about the consequences of HIV infection and the importance of adhering to preventive measures against the coronavirus.

It should be noted that during the technical presentation of the activities for the 18th edition of “Vacances Sans Sida,” Mr. Alain Siegfried MOUKOURI, an attaché at the General Secretariat of the Office of the President of the Republic, highlighted some key figures from the previous campaign. Indeed, data from the Mobile Units of the National Committee for the Fight Against AIDS show that 9,608 young people aged 10 to 24 received counseling during the 2019 campaign period. 9,587 actually underwent HIV testing, including 6,451 boys (67.2%) and 3,136 girls (32.8%). Of the 9,587 young people tested, 49 tested positive—25 boys and 24 girls. The HIV prevalence rate in the 10–24 age group is 1.5%, with 0.4% among boys and 0.8% among girls.