Operation ‘Holidays without AIDS’ targets 4000 screening cases in Garoua

The caravan of peer educators deployed across the city has encountered a strong youth membership by targeting 4000 screening cases in Garoua for the operation ‘Holidays without AIDS’ campaign.

Cameroon Tribune (CT) met with the team of medical and health professionals and other peer educators responsible for conducting the free and voluntary testing campaign of AIDS at Garoua crossroads "km 5". Youth outreach and condom distribution is also part of the operation "Holidays without AIDS", 2015 edition.

The team was led by Timothy Alnoudji, medico-sanitary technician. With him was about 20 young people, ages between 15 and 20 years, who came to be voluntarily tested. The work was well organized and the operation proceeded expeditiously. The visitor was informed about his HIV status just minutes after been screened.

Almost all young people came to know their status so as to be informed of it earlier. Hence, their massive support. According to Dr. Leila Djamilatou, Coordinator of the Regional Technical Group for the Fight against AIDS in the North, the "AIDS-free holiday edition 2015" campaign was launched on August 1 in respect of the region North.

52 peer educators, she says, were selected, trained and deployed in the field to conduct the operation. She said the operation will last for 17 days. The objective is to screen at least 4,000 people in this area. Besides the screening, it will additionally issue proceeds with the distribution of condoms, awareness and condom use of demonstration sessions with gadgets made for this purpose.