Awareness group: Don’t get the virus

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
A PERSON living with HIV/AIDS is urging people not to have unprotected sex during the election.
Steven Taka, coordinator of True Warriors, a group made up of people living with the HIV/AIDS in Western Highlands province, said night activities organised by candidates promoted widespread unprotected sex.
Taka said this during a HIV/AIDS awareness programme carried out by the Provincial AIDS Council (PAC), True Warriors, AngliCare Stop AIDS, police and officers from the Electoral Commission.
He told people that HIV/AIDS had no cure and urged people to think of that when considering having sex.
He said condoms were not even safe if people did not know how to use them properly.
He said he had been living with the virus for 10 years and urged people living with the HIV/AIDS to think positively and enjoy their life.
He said when they thought too much about the virus, “they are indirectly killing themselves and will die quickly”.
He said living with the virus did not mean they would die quickly.
Major Moses Laki, from community policing, urged people not to discriminate against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Laki said parliament had passed a law to protect people living with the virus
Anyone discriminating against people living with the virus would be arrested, charged and could face a heavy penalty.
He said people with AIDS must be treated like any other person.
Council technical officer Rev Appollos Yimbak said from the 2007 national election, they had seen an increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS cases in the province.
Yimbak said the same would happen in this year’s elections and urged the people to be careful when engaging in sexual activities.