Over 57,000 infected with HIV/ AIDS in Littoral region

The figures were revealed by Dr. Noël Essomba, National Coordinator of the Committee for the control and fight against AIDS.

According to Dr. Noël Essomba, National Coordinator of the Committee for the control and fight against HIV/AIDS and regional manager of the technical group of AIDS for the Littoral, nearly 57 000 people are living with HIV AIDS in the Littoral Region.

According to this official, this figure which corresponds to a prevalence rate of 3% is in the net decline from 4.3 per cent in 2011.

According to him, this reduction was made possible by increased awareness and screening campaigns engaged in the region and throughout the national triangle.

"The satisfactory results obtained are among others due to awareness which is now better structured that we carried out, primarily for the benefit of the general public, and for the most vulnerable especially." "These results are also certainly due to better coordination of various interventions, also that of our partners (multilateral, bilateral, NGOs and various Associations) than those of the public authorities", says the doctor.

Out of the 57,000 patients identified, 1,200 are children and only 30,000 (approximately 53%) are under treatment. The neglect of patients, the psychological state of the HIV-positive who refuses to disclose the illness and consider it a curse, the lack of financial means, prevents some patients to visit support centres.

Despite the efforts of the Government to make the antiviral drugs more accessible as possible, many patients continue to complain of the high cost of products, entrusted the official of the Centers for AIDS patients.

According to officials of the Committee for control and fight against HIV AIDS, this figure is not final, it can be revised upward or downward depending on the behavior of the public.