National AIDS Response Unit to embark on media campaign

Allison Samuel Coordinator of the National AIDS Response Programme

The National AIDS Response Unit will embark on a media campaign following the completion of the Regional Testing Day activities.

Regional Testing Day activities commenced on June 6, 2017 in the Castle Bruce Health District and will end on June 30, 2017 in the Roseau Health District.

Coordinator of the National AIDS Response Programme Allison Samuel said: “Right out of Regional Testing Day activities we are going to be running a stigma and discrimination media campaign.”

Samuel said that there will be public service announcements on both television and radio.

“We will have PSAs (public service announcements) both on television and radio encouraging the public to refrain from continuing to practice stigma and discrimination to people who are positive for HIV,” she stated.

Samuel said following Regional Testing Day activities, the unit will continue to offer the public rapid HIV testing.

“We have training coming up where will train other health care workers and with Civil Society Organizations in regards to literacy that is associated with HIV, HIV management, stigma and discrimination,” she stated.

In addition, Samuel noted that the unit will also collaborate with the Dominica Planned Parenthood to undertake a refresher training course on stigma and discrimination for health care providers.

“The unit continues to provide services under the various components of the programme and we continue to support people who live with HIV and also seek to implement strategies to prevent HIV,” she said.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

15 Comments

  1. June 24, 2017

    Let the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 1:16, St. John 3:16, St. John 3:36) be preached, and let the Holy Scriptures be faithfully taught especially as they pertain to Christian living :!: This is the greatest defense against the harmful destructive forces of evil the world has ever known. It works for individuals. It works for communities.

    When people are saved Christ by the Holy Spirit enters their heart imparting the Divine nature and a change takers place in their lives. They are not perfect yet. There are still things to learn and battles to win. But they are well on their way.

    We cannot save ourselves by religious rituals or good works. Please read Ephesians 2:8,9! Christ did it all on the cross by taking our sins upon Himself and dying for our guilt! Please read Isaiah 53:5,6 and
    Romans 5:6-8. We are saved by BELIEVING this! The Bibles says *Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, …* (Acts 16:31)

    Sincerely, Rev. Donald…

  2. June 22, 2017

    Excuse me for even wading into your filthy waters at his point.

    Condoms have been known to break.

    Some viruses are believed to pass through the latex.

    Not all sexually transmitted diseases are spread by body fluids. In some cases skin-to-skin contact is all it takes, and some diseases can be passed on the pubic hairs.

    There is another negative effect from fornication and that is psychological. Self respect and respect for the partner is often diminished. The courtship period is a time to build trust into the future marriage. This can be lost by sexual misbehavior during the going together time. You want be able to trust your marriage partner. But how can you if you know he or she broke the moral law of God before you were married :?: How can he (or she) trust you :?:

  3. June 22, 2017

    Civilized nations are working hard to eradicate a disease that is caused by uncivilized behavior.

    We hear about AIDS DAY, marches, research, pills, and injections. We continue to be reminded of the importance of testing and rightly so. Year after year we hear updates and thank you for them.

    But what we do not hear about is the one sure prevention for HIV that would stamp it out in a relatively short
    time. Just stop buggering and fornicating! That is the code of morality God Almighty has given us to live by in the New Testament in passages of scripture such as Romans 1:26,27, 1 Corinthians 6:9,10, and Galatians 5:19-24. There is so much more our governments could do to uphold, enforce, and promote this standard of righteousness throughout the land.

    Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

  4. June 22, 2017

    In my comment third line from the bottom it should say \”… those whose names are not mentioned in this DNO article, …\”

    Sorry :oops:

    Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

  5. I am Dominica....Are You!!!!
    June 22, 2017

    Well said Tina!!

  6. TIna Alexander
    June 22, 2017

    Everyone needs training to know that HIV is sexually transmitted and that using a condom saves you from this and many other STDs as well as pregnancy. But more than that, people need to stop discriminating against those with HIV. You can get HIV from one occasion of unprotected sex. ( so it could happen to any of us and, even if you are faithful now, your spouse can bring it with them from their past) You cannot catch HIV by mistake . If you are having unprotected sex with someone without knowing their sexual history and HIV status this is a problem. Tell them you want to get tested and take them along with you .

  7. You keep running off your mouth about testing!

    What comes next? Testing alone cannot prevent acquired immune deficiency. What about treatment, do we have modern treatment in Dominica, there is no cure for the disease, nevertheless there are medications, which prolongs life, it is no longer a death sentence when one contract aids.

    Talking about stigma, is nonsense, the fact that there are so many different ways the virus can be transmitted, one must be cautious, if you suggest that is stigmatism so be it! There are so many different diseases that associated with the HIV virus; if you are an export how come you are not educating people to the following. Let me introduce you to something you perhaps do not know:

    Opportunistic Infections And Cancers Seen Frequently In Aids Patients:

    Protozoal: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
    Toxoplasma gondii encephalitis
    Cryptosporidium entertis

    Viral: Herpes simplex perirectal…

    • Continue:

      Viral: Herpes simplex perirectal abscesses
      Cytomegalovirus retinitis, colitis, pneumonitis, encephalitis, or other organ disease
      Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
      Varicella zoster, disseminated

      Fungal: Candida albicans stomatitis and esophagitis
      Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis

      Bacterial: Mycobacterium avium intracellulare disseminated
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis extrapulmonary and pulmonary

      Cancers: Kaposi’s sarcoma
      B Cell lymphoma of the brain
      Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B cells type)

      All of the disease I mentioned here accompany aids, how come you are not educating people these and other diseases which do more damage to the patient than the aids virus. Am I to assume it is because you are limited to talk about testing each and every year?

      • June 22, 2017

        Francisco:

        I raise my hands in unholy horror admitting I know nothing about these diseases. But since it seems they are HIV related and frequently seen in AIDS patients I am suggesting if AIDS was stamped out the problem with these other diseases would at least be reduced.

        You have done a service by providing this information for those who are able to relate to it.

        People who know they may be at risk ought to get tested as soon as possible (ASAP). If they are positive they should get into treatment immediately. I appreciate those who are encouraging them to do so, and those who are making the testing and treatment available. To those whose names are mentioned in this DNO article, and the many others – unsung heroes – who work behind the scenes in the battle against HIV thank you, and God bless you!

        Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill

    • ” if AIDS was stamped out the problem with these other diseases would at least be reduced.”(Dr. Hill).

      Very much so Mr. Hill for indeed it is not so much the aids virus which causes death, but complications that follows, and basically the mentioned diseases are complications of aids! We may still have to deal with certain cancers, and that is because every human alive has cancer cells in their body.

      However, the cells do not proliferate in the majority of people; scientifically doctors and medical researchers do not know why.

  8. Alibaba and his forty thieves
    June 21, 2017

    But who really are they testing? Is it mandatory testing or volunteeririly? If volunteeririly I suggest the PM and other government ministers should lead by example and do the AIDS, so the public could feel free to take the test as well. Furthermore, I strongly suggest that anyone who ever participated in paid sexual entertainment get tested and have their results out

    • June 22, 2017

      The test is a personal matter and like all medical tests is suppose to be confidential unless the subject decides to make it known. We have a right to expect all who work in the medical offices, clinics, labs, and hospitals to honor this professional trust.

      It is not something anybody gets done to set an example. The P.M. has the same right to confidentiality as any other citizen. He may choose to encouraged others to be tested or he may decide not to. Again, that is his business.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

  9. Ideal
    June 21, 2017

    Hope you give out a lot of condoms.

    • June 22, 2017

      Just give them the truth. Let them obey God they will not have to worry about avoiding the consequences of
      their wrong doings. :-D

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

      • June 22, 2017

        On the other hand to even imply that it is O.K. to commit the sin while you are teaching people how to not get caught is wrong.

        Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available