Last Updated on December 2, 2022, 2:13 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, commemorated World Aids Day with a post on his social media account. The international community celebrates World Aids day on December 1 every year.
The world commemorated the day for the first time in the year 1988. Prime Minister Dr Drew, who is also The Minister of health in the government of St Kitts and Nevis, shared the post where he detailed that World AIDS Day is an opportunity to bring awareness to our commitment to HIV and AIDS education and prevention.
He observed that after coming out of a pandemic, it is easy to overlook the general epidemic in our fight against HIV/AIDS. So today, we are reminded to continue the fight until we can eradicate its existence.
Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew The World Health Organization (WHO) joins partners to commemorate World AIDS Day 2022 under the theme “Equalize”.
WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to boldly recognize and address the inequalities holding back progress in ending AIDS; and equalize access to essential HIV services, particularly for children and key populations and their partners.
Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew reiterated that World AIDS Day reminds us to remain vigilant concerning the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It focuses on the many underlying factors that still put our communities at risks, such as lifestyle issues, including unprotected sexual activity and high-risk sexual behaviours.
According to CAREC, the Caribbean still maintains the highest incidence of reported HIV/AIDS cases in the Americas. Statistics say 350,000 and 590,000 Caribbean people living with HIV/AIDS in the Americas. To date, we have 213 persons living with HIV/AIDS in St Kitts and Nevis: 137 males and 76 females. With 13 new cases.
The global community members have exerted much effort to educate the populace and the broader international community on HIV/AIDS, but we must not become stagnant. Medical professionals do not see a positive diagnosis as a death sentence anymore.
However, that does not mean we should not still focus on preventative measures to reduce its spread and arm our most vulnerable populations with information and skills to protect themselves and others from the harms of contracting this disease is essential.
Dr Terrance Drew committed that the government is dedicated to preventing new cases of HIV/AIDS by equalizing access to essential HIV/AIDS services.
However, he also believes that it is not enough. We also need to secure the rights of people living with HIV by fighting HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, including protecting their confidential records and treating them with dignity.
He urged the medical practitioners not to relax. Let us NOT take the advances in our treatment of HIV/AIDS as an opportunity to relax our efforts.
Further, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew added, “As we celebrate our achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS, let us also look to continue the fight until this disease is eradicated from our lives and communities.”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
