Communicators urged to contribute towards fighting HIV, Hepatitis B.

Dr Joseph Fokam made the call at the close of a three-day workshop that held in Ebolowa in the South Region from January 14 to 16. The workshop, organised by NACC, brought together communicators and journalists of different media organs from different parts of the country. 

These communicators and journalists were schooled on how to effectively draft messages geared towards combating and creating awareness on the diseases, with a commitment to accompany NACC in attaining its objectives.

The workshop had as objective to triple the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Viral Hepatitis B, including mobilisation and awareness-raising for Antenatal Care, ANC, and HIV testing.

The three-day gathering was also to optimise the diagnostic network to achieve optimal coverage of HIV viral load testing by 2030, strengthen the system and performance of reference laboratories for viral load testing and early diagnosis in children exposed to HIV.

During the workshop, discussions focused mainly on the importance of getting the HIV/AIDS test, as well as on the fear and stigma that still surround the pandemic. 

Participants also saw the presentation of a summary of the M-Reach communication strategy, whose objective is to help increase the accessibility, acceptability, and use of antenatal care services in order to achieve the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.

At the end of the workshop, participants discussed strategies to be implemented in order to achieve the set objectives and to strengthen collaboration among the various stakeholders involved, including the media. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3679 of Tuesday January 20, 2026