Gov’t increases HIV/AIDS screening procedures.

This was during a press conference. According to the minister, the new algorithm requires that any new HIV-positive person will have to undergo three consecutive reactive tests in health facilities and health districts instead of the normal two as was the case before.

The move, the member of government noted, was in accordance with international guidelines. 

“This is a significant and decisive step in our common efforts to improve the accuracy and efficacy of HIV testing in our country; knowing of course that this first step is more than important in the fight against this disease and in particular the way towards its elimination,” Dr Manaouda stated.

According to the member of government, the introduction of the new approach will lead to a drop in HIV prevalence in Cameroon to less than 5%. 

He said counselling, psychosocial support and the provision of means of prevention, as well as abstinence and protection tools, are among other efforts that are being implemented to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the society. 

“…it therefore involves avoiding false positive results as much as possible in the screening process, taking into consideration the economic, epidemiological and psychological burden that a bad diagnosis places on the health system, the society and especially the patients who find themselves in a rather deplorable mental state,” Dr Manaouda stated. 

He explained that the transition will be carried out in two phases. The first phase is scheduled for the second half of 2024 and it will take place in the Centre, South, Littoral and West regions and the initial three-month phase will enable a technical evaluation. 

The second phase, the minister said, will hold in 2025 and this time, the algorithm will be extended to the entire country and it will gradually be integrating the general population. 

To ensure an effective transition, the minister indicated that a roadmap has been drawn up, outlining awareness and communication strategies in particular for health management teams, community health promoters and health facility staff, as well as those from the ministry and will need the engagement of the media. 

The roadmap also includes supply chain needs for transition, monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy. 

Drop in rate of infection

Citing statistics from the demographic and health survey, the minister noted that the number of new annual contaminations decreased from 45,835 in 2004 to 9,898 in 2022, just as much as the number of HIV/AIDS-related deaths, estimated at 31,414 dropped to 10,198 during the same period. 

“These developments, if they seem flattering, nevertheless, remain true that the fight against HIV/ AIDS is a constant concern of the Cameroon Government, which initially intends to considerably reduce the prevalence which is very high among women, compared to men, representing 3.4% compared to 1.9%. The rate of new contaminations among exposed children, young adolescents and key populations is classified as high risk,” the minister said. 

Fight continues 

According to the minister, the fight continues as “Cameroon's goal is to achieve the triple 95 by 2030, with a broader strategy of triple elimination of major infections like HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, particularly among pregnant women and key populations”.

The minister regretted that with close to 39 million people living with HIV worldwide, HIV/AIDS remains a public health problem requiring a response adapted to the evolution of the pandemic.

Cameroon, the member of government said, has close to 500,000 people living with HIV. This figure, he said, has dropped thanks to the success of the programme that has led to a 50% drop in HIV prevalence over the past decades. 

Dr Manaouda equally appealed for the mobilisation of all forces and resources to ensure the success of this new screening policy, which, he said, would make it possible to effectively attain their goal which is the elimination of the pandemic by 2030.

The member of government equally thanked all government’s partners for their frank collaboration in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 

Their contributions, he said, have enabled Cameroon to go through this milestone with all the requirements in this area, both in terms of studies and the adoption procedure and choice of the components of this new algorithm. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3166 of Friday July 11, 2024