Cameroon: Campaign on ARV Adherence Support Underway
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Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
8 August 2008
Posted to the web 8 August 2008
Elizabeth Mosima
It will run from August 4 to 13, 2008 under the auspices of the German-Cameroon Health/AIDS Programme.
Few people are ok aware of the Anti Retroviral Treatment (ARV) on HIV/AIDS despite the reduction of cost for treatment. Sophie E. was diagnosed of HIV/AIDS some three years ago. She was prescribed the ARV treatment which she later abandoned after two years of treatment. According to her, she was advised by some friends to seek treatment from a native doctor who is well known for curing the AIDS disease. She however admits that for the past one year, there has been no improvement in her health condition. The story is similar to Maggie M. who is also HIV positive.
Even though she takes her drugs, she does not respect the time required for taking her treatment. Maggie's case is not different from many in Cameroon. According to statistics from the German-Cameroon Health/AIDS Programme, about 50,000 people out of the expected 75,000 are currently under ARV treatment. However, some of these patients under ARV abandon their treatment because they believe they can be healed by traditional healers, charlatans or in prayer groups.
Apart from seeking other means of treatment, some patients simply forget to take their treatment or skip the doses out of negligence. The consequence can be the development of resistant viruses. Such a situation may cause an increase in morbidity rates of people infected with HIV and can push patients and their caretakers to have doubt concerning the effectiveness of ARV. It is for this reason that a campaign on ARV treatment Adherence Support was launched last Monday in Yaounde. The campaign which runs from August 4 to 13, 2008 is organised by the German-Cameroon Health/AIDS Programme.
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The campaign was launched by the Secretary of State for Health, Alim Hayatou. During the campaign period, journalists are expected to sensitise patients and clients under ARV treatment or their entourage for a better treatment adherence. Some of the aspects the journalists should make known to patients, clients and the public include: forgetfulness, informing neighbours or relatives of their situation, irregularities and failure of treatment, charlatans or traditional healers, among others. They are also expected to convince patients that ARV is the only effective treatment against HIV/AIDS today. The campaign targets about 50,000 patients or clients under ARV treatment and more than 50,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon as well as their entourage.
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Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
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