WHO Regional Director Visits House Speaker

Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and Dr Luis Gomes Sambo discussed AIDS situation in Cameroon.

The Regional Director of the World Health Organisation for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo was Friday 14 December 2012 guest at the National Assembly. He was granted audience by House Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril during which they discussed the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon which stands at over 4.3 per cent. Talks also centred on strides made in HIV/AIDS.

The august guest said the talks were agreeable but that government and stakeholders need to increase efforts to reduce the incidence of the illness in the country. "We also discussed about the promotion of traditional medicine based on scientific evidence. We know that traditional medicine is also very important within the Cameroonian health system and we discussed in general about health promotion in Cameroon," Luis Gomes disclosed.

Talking about drug resistance and the need for more Cameroonians to have access to drugs, the WHO official said that they are laying emphasis on research. He however expressed satisfaction on steps taken by the government of Cameroon to concretely find what is going on in terms of resistance to anti-retroviral drugs. From research findings he said, they should conduct action in terms of selecting the appropriate medicines and making sure that people's health is protected particularly against the use of fake medicine. He however advised carriers to stay clear of risk factors like drugs and tobacco consumption.

The audience of the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo to House Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril was part of a three-day working visit of the former to many health related structures in Cameroon. It also coincided with activities marking 50 years of cooperation between Cameroon and WHO.