AIDS-free holidays 2018

The headquarters of Synergies Africaines served as the setting for the launch ceremony of Holidays Without AIDS 2018. The ceremony co-chaired by the Minister of Public Health, André MAMA FOUDA, President of the National Committee for the Fight against AIDS (NACC) and the Minister of Youth and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou. They will be accompanied by 650 young peer educators. Led by the First Lady, Ms. Chantal BIYA, Founding President of African Synergies and Special Ambassador of UNAIDS, Holidays Without AIDS is an initiative that aims to raise awareness among young people against STIs, HIV and AIDS during the holiday period. It is for the latter to be fixed on their serological status and all questions related to HIV and AIDS. 700,000 young people are targeted during this edition and approximately 50,000 young people are expected to be screened during this edition. At the official launch ceremony, there were not only speeches. Voluntary, anonymous and free screening was also on the agenda. No less than three mobile units from the Central Technical Group and the Regional Technical Group of the Center stormed the African Synergies esplanade for free HIV testing for the many young people and adults who met there. .

According to recent data published at the end of the results of the evaluation of the impact of HIV in Cameroon (Camphia), the prevalence of HIV is decreasing: 3.4% in 2017 while it was 4.3% in 2011. Only young girls in the 15-24 age group are 9 times more infected than young boys in the same age group. Six out of ten new infections occur in this age group. Cameroon needs healthy youth, said Mounouna Foutsou, Minister of Youth and Civic Education. He called on young people to make good use of social networks because, he stressed, the risk of seeing the disease rise again is great. Beyond the mobilization of 650 peer educators in the towns and villages of the country to encourage voluntary testing and the withdrawal of results, it will also be a question of informing HIV-positive people that one can live with HIV and carry out one's projects. , to encourage people on treatment to take their medication regularly. The Minister of Public Health has asked peer educators to convince as many of their peers as possible to get tested and especially to register for the U-Report initiative by sending "JOINDRE" for French speakers and "JOIN" for English speakers by SMS to 8555