First Lady’s tour team ‘discovers’ 14 new HIV/Aids cases

By Mafugi Ceesay The Gambia’s First Lady, Fatou Bah-Barrow, in collaboration with the National Aids Secretariat, have discovered 14 new cases of Hiv/Aids out of 735 tested. The First Lady and the Aids Secretariat are on a country-wide sentisation tour to end mother-to-child HIV/Aids transmission. Speaking on Saturday at an event at Arch 22, Banjul, to mark the end of the first round of the tour, Madam Barrow said henceforth, a similar tour will be conducted every six months. She stressed that she will not be observing any protocol when it comes to matters affecting Gambian citizens because she is only interested in the well being of Gambians. Ousman Badjie, the director of the Aids Secretariat, said the tour caravan focused on areas that required quick intervention. Fanta Secka, the executive director of Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital, revealed that in 2017, about 1118 people were tested, out of which 1,025 were negative, with 93 positive. She said 92 of them were put on treatment out of which four have died. She said in 2018, about 1,004 were seen with 854 testing negative and 150 positive. Of these 146 were put on treatment and 10 have since died. Ma Jianchun, the Chinese ambassador to The Gambia, pledged his country’s support for HIV/Aids programmes in Africa and underscored the need to raise people’s awareness to curtail infections and help Africa realise the Sustainable Development Goals. He said the First Lady’s campaign will help the people to know their status, eliminate fear and discrimination against HIV/Aids sufferers. He said his embassy has provided D2 million for the activity and printed 1,000 T-shirts, and distributed 500 caps and placed 14 hangers and banners on highways.]]>