HIV prevalence has reduced in Guyana within recent years showing “progress in the fight” but Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has said he is concerned about the adolescent age group where the numbers have not reduced.
There has been no evidence to point to an increase in the category of youths aged 15 to 19 years, he said yesterday, but while the numbers have gone down among the risk groups and other demographics, the adolescent incidence rate is the same. “The 15 to 19 age group is an area for concern for Guyana,” Ramsammy told reporters at a press briefing.
He said that there is persistence in the number of young people that are newly infected, noting that too many youths are sexually active.
The Health Minister said that the focus has been on the risk groups over the years, which includes Commercial Sex Workers and Men who have sex with Men. “…While I agree that these need attention, for me the most at risk group is the adolescent age group,” he said.
The Ministry will accelerate its prevention efforts among adolescents in 2011 and make use of a combination strategy, according to Ramsammy. He explained that while abstinence has been preached as an effective strategy and is important, it cannot be the only line of action. He argued that any strategic plan with abstinence as the only line of action is “flawed.”
Ramsammy said that the 15-year-olds who are testing positive for HIV are usually sexually active for some years before they get tested. He said that other strategic lines of action need to be adopted in tackling adolescent infections. “Our young people are having sex…we need to stop deluding ourselves because it is happening. We must take preventative action,” he said, noting that young people need to have access to more information on how to protect their bodies and how to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, recently 35, 000 persons were tested countrywide during the National Week of Testing. Ramsammy said that the numbers were gratifying, since the target was for 30,000 persons.
He said that close to 40 percent of the total population have been tested since the initiative was taken on board by the Ministry.
Further, Ramsammy commented on the issue of HIV funding being scaled down, saying that “it would be a grave mistake” that will reverse the progress made to date.
He said too that reduced funding will impact more severely on the poorer persons who are at risk; infected and affected.
According to the minister, the gains that have been made in the HIV fight demonstrate that the mobilization of resources in the first decade of the 21st century has had a major impact on reducing the incidences of HIV across the world; reduced the number of children born with HIV; and also impacted on the number of AIDS-related deaths.
