Guinea advocates new strategies to fight AIDS

Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Guinea's Prime Minister, Dr Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, on Monday hailed the courage and faith of people living with HIV.

In a radio and television message ahead of the 32nd World AIDS Day on Tuesday, he said one pandemic should not hide or make us forget another, stressing that it is difficult to fight against the burden of the HIV/AIDS, the daily stigmatization and discrimination suffered by patients.

The day is on the theme: "Global Solidarity and Shared Responsibility."

The Prime Minister, who is also chairman of the National AIDS Control Committee, said that the world has set the goal of ending HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.

According to Dr. Fofana, "this cannot be achieved without a broad coverage of our targets".

"To achieve this we need to revisit our strategies effectively for measurable impact and encourage local leadership for sustainable and responsible targeted actions.

"We need to innovate and create new partnerships. Finally, we must carry out all our actions with respect for human rights," he said.

Dr. Fofana said that the door to achieving this goal is testing and encouraging his compatriots to get tested.

He renewed the commitment of the Guinean head of state and government to work for an effective response to the HIV pandemic in the country.

"It is indeed essential that people have access to testing services so that they can protect themselves and others. To do this, we must rethink our strategies by extending our actions throughout the territory towards the populations with a special focus on those who are most at risk," he suggested.

From 2019, the prevalence of AIDS in Guinea is 120,000 HIV-positive people, or about 1.7 per cent of the population.

In 2018, 4,300 people died of AIDS in the country.
-0- PANA AC/JSG/MTA/MA 1Dec2020