By Mustapha Jarju & Yunus S Saliu
Through the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS), The Gambia
and its partners will today, Thursday, 1st December join the rest of the world
to celebrate yet another World AIDS Day.
Before today’s celebration, the National AIDS Secretariat
and partners Wednesday, 30th November 2022 held a press briefing to discuss this year’s theme – Equalize the event was held at the NAS office along Kairaba Avenue and was well attended.
Addressing the gathering, Ousman Badjie, the Director of
NAS noted that this year’s celebration is special as it is four decades of the global response to HIV/AIDS. He reminded the gathering that the first HIV/AIDS in the Gambia was identified and diagnosed in 1986 it was reported globally in 1981
“Yet we are not able to test every Gambian for HIV/AIDS and that’s our wish as we continue in this response to HIV/AIDS for those that tested positive we have not been able to ensure that all of them receive the treatment on time and that remains a very formidable challenge in our response to HIV/AIDS,” he stated.
However, “we commemorate World AIDS Day by reflecting on the response to HIV/AIDS for the millions of people who have lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses worldwide. So this is not only an event that is limited to the Gambia but worldwide.”
He added that as they commemorate the day people must reflect on the progress making as far as the global response to HIV/AIDS is concerned and “the Gambia is no exception so we continue to working toward to end it by addressing the inequality by addressing the in the community that is affected by the AIDS pandemic”.
So, “it is on this basis that UNAIDS and partners have decided to choose to Equalize as the theme for the 2022 World AIDS Day because inequality is still very common as we put in our efforts in HIV/AIDS treatment testing and prevention.”
Speaking at the press briefing, Madam Sirra Horeja Ndow, UNAIDS Country Director disclosed that World AIDS Day is a moment to remember over forty million lives lost to AIDS and it is also a moment to take the response and recommit ending AIDS by 2030.
She reiterated that the 2022 global theme is Equalize and “as we commemorate it let’s remind ourselves what the data is telling us that the current challenges that disunite the world to ending the inequality holding back the end of AIDS such as access to rights and services for adolescent girls and young women, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, inequalities against children living with HIV.
According to the UNSAID Executive Director, she quoted “an inequality that breaks my heart is that against children living with HIV, with the size that we have today, no baby should be born with HIV, and no child who has HIV should be without treatment. But today, why three-quarters of adults living with HIV are on treatment, only less than half of children are this is intolerable.”
She dilated further on other forms of inequalities which included access to resources, stigma and discrimination, and so on.
Madam Kumba Ndow Sise, the Global Fund Project Manager ActionAid International The Gambia, said celebrating the day is also meant to recognize those that have lost their lives from HIV/AIDS “and we want to remember them and use the day to reflect on what we have done as a country.”
She said in the national response against HIV/AIDS in the Gambia, she said the country now has a committed response program led by the National Secretariat and support “and we have been committed just like in all our global commitments.”
She as well talked about equal access and the need to have universal access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Sheriff Badjie, Assistant program manager, national control program, ministry of health National aids control program among other people delivered speeches while the occasion was punctuated with questions and answers.