NAC plans for more awareness

MORE awareness will be conducted by the National AIDS Council (NAC) to prevent transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency virus which causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) during the National General Election, according to the council.
Acting director Tony Lupiwa told The National that talks had been underway with Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission to set up teams to carry out HIV/AIDS awareness in the provinces.
“HIV is still here and it is starting to increase again, the funding is not available anymore for mass awareness and other intervention programmes, resulting in the prevalence increasing to 0.9 per cent last year,” he said.
“This year is the National Election and the numbers of new infections are expected to increase further as experienced in past national elections.”
Lupiwa said about 55,000 people in the country were living with HIV (PLHIV) with 3,400 new cases were reported last year.
He said presently in the country, at least 10 people were infected daily and two people died from HIV a day.
Lupiwa said with the support from the Government and development partners, they managed to decrease the prevalence of HIV from 2.5 per cent in 2002 to 0.65 per cent in 2012. He said this was because of effective prevention programme.
Lupiwa said PLHIVs were also a high risk part of the population in relation to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) because of their weakened immune systems.
He said as experience from past elections had shown there could be a rise in the number of HIV infections reported following elections.
Lupiwa said the NAC would partner with Electoral Commission and Health Department to ensure Human Immunodeficiency virus and the Covid-19 prevention efforts were intensified around the country to prevent transmissions of both viruses during election.
The awareness programme will include the distribution of condoms, face masks and printed material on HIV/AIDS and the Covid-19 to hot spots such as campaign houses.