ENB marks World AIDS Day despite funding shortage

By ELIZABETH VUVU
EAST New Britain celebrated World AIDS Day last Thursday with various programmes although the organisers did not receive the full K50,000 allocated to the province.
They received K29,000 and provincial AIDS coordinator Beverly Akuila said they had received so many submissions from stakeholders but had to review the list as the funding was inadequate.
However, she described the activities as impressive saying people took the initiative to organise their own programmes, adding that it was encouraging that ENB was taking the epidemic seriously.
Akuila said the provincial administration supported the occasion with more than K30,000.
Many of the programmes were conducted at the ward level.
Akuila said because HIV/AIDS statistics indicated that the epidemic had gone rural in ENB, activities were focused on the rural areas.
Current statistics for the last three quarters for ENB show that there were 37 new HIV infections detected plus 40 from last year.
Akuila said this really did not show a true picture of the HIV status in ENB as it was only from those who had their blood tests taken when they visited hospitals with other illnesses.
She said statistics indicated that most of these cases comprised women as it was compulsory for them to get tested at antenatal clinics.
She challenged those engaged in risky sexual behaviours to visit the province’s 14 voluntary counselling testing sites.
She said more awareness was being conducted in rural areas.
By ELIZABETH VUVU
EAST New Britain celebrated World AIDS Day last Thursday with various programmes although the organisers did not receive the full K50,000 allocated to the province.
They received K29,000 and provincial AIDS coordinator Beverly Akuila said they had received so many submissions from stakeholders but had to review the list as the funding was inadequate.
However, she described the activities as impressive saying people took the initiative to organise their own programmes, adding that it was encouraging that ENB was taking the epidemic seriously.
Akuila said the provincial administration supported the occasion with more than K30,000.
Many of the programmes were conducted at the ward level.
Akuila said because HIV/AIDS statistics indicated that the epidemic had gone rural in ENB, activities were focused on the rural areas.
Current statistics for the last three quarters for ENB show that there were 37 new HIV infections detected plus 40 from last year.
Akuila said this really did not show a true picture of the HIV status in ENB as it was only from those who had their blood tests taken when they visited hospitals with other illnesses.
She said statistics indicated that most of these cases comprised women as it was compulsory for them to get tested at antenatal clinics.
She challenged those engaged in risky sexual behaviours to visit the province’s 14 voluntary counselling testing sites.
She said more awareness was being conducted in rural areas.