The sports category has moved to a new website.
ADVERTISEMENT

Love hotels targeted to fight HIV among teens

Cameroon, a country of 23 million that hugs Africa's Gulf of Guinea, has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world.

Cameroon, a country of 23 million that hugs Africa's Gulf of Guinea, has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world.

Cameroon, a country of 23 million that hugs Africa's Gulf of Guinea, has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world.

"The maps highlight the high-risk zones for transmission," said Boris Mbaho Tchaptchet, 21, speaking at a local youth club.

"We located the love hotels, the video clubs, the cabarets, the underground meeting places before putting into place an action and prevention plan in our community," he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The club in Guider was one of those selected for the "All In! End Aids among Adolescents" project launched in August 2015 with the backing of the UN children's agency UNICEF.

According to official figures, 79,771 children and adolescents are HIV-positive, but experts say it is much higher.

"This platform brings together all the interventions fighting HIV in the country targeting young people," said Jules Ngwa Edielle, who runs the HIV prevention in Cameroon's youth and civic education ministry.

It ropes in local administrative, political and religious authorities to fight the disease.

'You think I'm sick?

ADVERTISEMENT

With his colleagues, 21-year-old Bouba Saliou was trained as a peer-group educator in his neighbourhood.

"My role is to talk with other young people, ask them questions to understand their situation and to encourage them to get tested," he explained.

But broaching the delicate issue is not without its pitfalls.

"Some people react saying, 'You think I'm sick? Have you ever seen me having sexual relations?'"

"Other simply refuse, saying that they are confident about their status. But I try to convince anyway," he added with smile.

ADVERTISEMENT

Saliou cites the case of a 17-year-old who found out he was HIV-positive because of his intervention.

"He was very angry at me when he got the results," he recalled. "But today we talk regularly and he tells he is following his treatment regularly."

This community-based approach is essential if Cameroon is to attain the 90-90-90 target set by the UNAIDS, which Cameroon signed up to back in 2015.

The aim is to get to the point where 90 percent of those who are HIV-positive know about their condition; where 90 percent of those who know are on retroviral treatment; and where 90 percent of those receiving that treatment achieve viral suppression.

The hope is to be able to wipe out the virus by 2030.

ADVERTISEMENT

Therese Nduwimana, who runs UNICEF Cameroon's HIV unit, said the programme had proved its worth in the north of the country with the No Limit for Women Project (Nolfowop).

"With a budget of just $40,000 a year the results have been spectacular," she said.

"In just months, the number of HIV-positive children identified has been multiplied by four," she said.

However, one of the problems is an acute shortage of medical staff. The hospital in Garoua, which serves an area with 2.7 million people, only has one paediatrist and one gynaecologist.

Door-to-door campaigns

ADVERTISEMENT

A group of around 30 women were gathered at one of the town's health centres, waiting to be tested about their HIV status. The result is announced almost immediately.

"Our volunteers have gone door to door to encourage every pregnant woman to get tested," said Odette Etame, who heads the Nolfowop project.

Other mothers acting as mentors then made home visits to physically accompany HIV-positive women and their children for anti-retroviral treatment, she added.

This was one way to reach people who would other wise be lost from view, she said.

Cameroon had a 5.75-percent HIV prevalence rate for pregnant women in 2016, making it one of the 10 countries responsible for 75 percent of new paediatric infections worldwide.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

Recommended articles

Kenyatta University bus collides with truck, several feared dead

Kenyatta University bus collides with truck, several feared dead

Rita Tinina's final moments & illness

Rita Tinina's final moments & illness

Man who was with Brian Chira reveals his final words

Man who was with Brian Chira reveals his final words

Ruto celebrates 29-year-old earning Sh68K per week via online jobs

Ruto celebrates 29-year-old earning Sh68K per week via online jobs

Gachagua's promise to Kapsabet Boys School after accident that left 2 dead, scores injured

Gachagua's promise to Kapsabet Boys School after accident that left 2 dead, scores injured

Brian Chira's family seeks help following his tragic death

Brian Chira's family seeks help following his tragic death

Details of Ruto & Raila's grand strategy to secure Commission Chair seat

Details of Ruto & Raila's grand strategy to secure Commission Chair seat

President Ruto's bold declaration on the economy & signs that Kenya is going places

President Ruto's bold declaration on the economy & signs that Kenya is going places

What the family of police boss who died on Haiti mission wants from the government

What the family of police boss who died on Haiti mission wants from the government

ADVERTISEMENT