AEGiS-UNAIDS: Cameroon Must Strengthen Its Current Efforts To Avoid A Worsening Aids Epidemic, Says Unaids Executive Director

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Cameroon Must Strengthen Its Current Efforts To Avoid A Worsening Aids Epidemic, Says Unaids Executive Director

UNAIDS (Geneva) - June 19, 2003

Yaound , 19 June 2003 - The increased AIDS awareness amongst Cameroonians is strong evidence that Cameroon's political commitment to combat the disease is yielding positive results, even though greater challenges still lie ahead to curb the epidemic, according to Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). "The strong political will and social mobilization are realities which should lead to the scaling up of HIV care and prevention programmes and avoid a worsening epidemic in the country", said Dr Piot. He was on a two-day visit to Cameroon, where he met with Head of State, President Paul Biya, and government officials. Dr. Piot was also received by Cameroon's First Lady, Mrs. Chantal Biya, the chairperson of the "African Synergy", an NGO that groups African first ladies to face the challenge of HIV/AIDS and suffering in the African sub-region. He also held talks with leaders of religious groups, NGO representatives, the private sector and associations of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The rising trend in Cameroon's prevalence rate poses a serious threat to the country's economic recovery and development. The epidemic grew slowly between the late 1980s and 1996, with average prevalence among pregnant women in urban areas rising from below 2% to under 5%. However, the latest surveillance data indicates an HIV prevalence of around 11%. Cameroon's experience, showing how suddenly an epidemic can surge, points to the need for increased prevention efforts, and also demonstrates that countries with low to moderate HIV prevalence are not necessarily immune from a more severe epidemic.

Cameroon's government has taken positive steps to address HIV care and prevention in the country. According to its strategic HIV/AIDS plan (2000-2005), the government aims to increase condom use among high risk groups, make voluntary HIV counselling and testing services more widely available nationwide, and expand the antiretroviral programme for people living with HIV/AIDS. The government is already providing antiretroviral treatment to 6,000 HIV-positive people with the intention of expanding coverage over time. "The provision of HIV care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS must be one of Cameroon's top priorities if it is going to minimize the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS on the country," said Dr Piot.

"We know that mobilizing a wide range of actors, from businesses, religious groups, to teachers and people living with HIV/AIDS, will indeed make a difference in successfully tackling the epidemic," said Madani M. Tall, Representative of the World Bank and Chair of the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.

In his address to an association of people living with HIV/AIDS, Dr Piot underscored the importance and urgency of eradicating the AIDS stigma and discrimination surrounding those infected and affected, which continue to fuel the epidemic. "Not only do people living with HIV/AIDS have the same rights as everybody else, they must be given the opportunity to remain active and productive members of society," said Dr Piot. With its focus on stigma and discrimination, UNAIDS' World AIDS Campaign this year encourages people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

Building strong alliances between the public and private sector is key to mounting an effective response against the epidemic. "Cameroon's success in forging private-public partnerships should be promoted as a best practice, to be followed by other countries in reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS," said Dr Piot. "Mobilizing religious groups is also essential for reaching out to communities in enclave areas."

"The AIDS pandemic is an overwhelming challenge against humanity, fast depleting our human resources with a ripple effect on our economic and social systems. Together we must consolidate and intensify our efforts to stop the expanding epidemic from ravaging our youths, leaving our homes fatherless and motherless. We must build a strong protective fortress for Cameroon and Cameroonians now, because tomorrow might be too late and history will hold us accountable", said Mr Urbain Olanguena Awono, Minister of Public Health and Chairman of the National AIDS Control Committee in Cameroon.

Close to 1 million adults and children are currently living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon. An estimated 210,000 children under 14 have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS in the country.

For more information, please contact: Emmanuel Gnaor , UNAIDS, Cameroon, tel. (+237) 793 4543, Anne Winter, UNAIDS, Geneva, tel. +41 22) 791 4577, or Dominique De Santis, UNAIDS, Geneva, tel. (+41 22) 791 4509. For more information about UNAIDS, please visit our website, www.unaids.org.

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