The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the fight against HIV/AIDS can only be won with the active involvement of leaders of various communities.
She spoke in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, at the commemoration of the year 2023 World AIDS Day with the theme “Let Communities Lead”.
The gathering, which was organised by the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, ahead of the 22nd edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STI in Africa, ICASA, had participants from the United Nations and other sister agencies who spoke about the need to scale up advocacy and education about the pandemic.
Senator Tinubu decried the recent statistics released by the UNAIDS which revealed that in the year 2022, there were about one point five million new infections and the African continent accounted for two-thirds of that figure.
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“For decades, the global response to HIV/AIDS has been driven by governments, international organisations, and healthcare professionals. While their efforts have been commendable, it is time to recognise the pivotal role that communities play in shaping the response to this epidemic. Communities should be at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS, and their leadership is crucial in achieving our goals of prevention, treatment and support,” he said.
The First Lady, in a statement on Friday by her spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, urged various community leaders, especially traditional rulers, religious leaders, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organisations, CBO among others, who have led the fight in the past to intensify their efforts so that the target of eradicating the pandemic by 2030 can be met.
In her address, the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa admonished the participants about the dangers of premarital sex, unwholesome medical practices, youth and adolescent vices that escalate the transmission of the disease, eradication of stigmatisation, knowing one’s status and the need to seek help early.
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