Fight Against HIV, STIs, Covid-19 : Mekoto Population Sensitized, Screened

Medical experts from the “Chantal Biya" International Reference Centre for Research on the Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS (CIRCB) have edified the population of Mekoto, in the Mintom Subdivision of the Dja and Lobo Division, South Region,  on strategies and methods to prevent Sexually Transmissible Infectious (STIs), HIV/AIDS, and the Coronavirus. This was within the prevention education campaign on STIs-HIV/AIDS “Social Vaccine”, a joint initiative of CIRCB and international partners. Campaign messages were addressed to young people particularly those from Government Primary Schools Mekoto and Koungoulou (neighbouring village) as well as students from Government Technical School and Government Secondary School Mintom. Teachers and other actors in the community were also part. The over three-hour educative talk on Friday March 5, 2021 was presided at by the Divisional Officer of Mintom, Ebenezer Besseme Ematy.
The General Manager of CIRCB, Professor Alexis Ndjolo, led discussions, and from the questions asked by young people, it was revealed that they were not naive when it comes to topics like sex. From all indications, the kids mastered their sexual life and could take decisions without the knowledge of their parents. The social vaccine campaign programme was coming to Mekoto for the second time within three years because of the challenging health situation in the locality. In 2018, while the nationwide statistics of HIV stood at 3.34 per cent, the ratio in the South Region was 6.9 per cent. According to Prof. Ndjolo, in 2020 HIV statistics for the country were 2.7 per cent and the South Region alone had 5.9 per cent. The General Manager of CIRCB said they had come back with the same message. “It is not a vaccine. It is about disseminating awareness messages pending the advent of a conventional biological vaccine against HIV", Prof. Ndjolo underscored. Special about the event, was the free screening of the population not only against HIV, but also against the Coronavirus. According to him, the results of the screening tests were encouraging. Out of 108 screened of the HIV, five were positive, giving a percentage of 4.6 per cent as compared to 13.6 per cent four years back. From the 50 people screened of the Coronavirus, just one was positive.  
Dr Nelly Kamgaing from the CIRCB schoole...