December 1st is declared World HIV/AIDS Day. It is also an opportune moment for broad public awareness of this epidemic and to reaffirm constant support for those affected by the cursed virus.
To celebrate this historic day, the company Africa Global Logistics (AGL) deemed it useful to organize an awareness day for its workers at Conakry Terminal, in the commune of Kaloum. This ceremony mobilized several AGL executives, NGOs, the medical profession as well as other actors involved in the fight.
Chaired by AGL communications manager, Fodé Diaouné, this day took place in a very relaxed and jovial atmosphere.
Formerly perceived as a death sentence, today, with the progress of medicine, HIV/AIDS has become a disease which, through early detection of HIV infection, allows the person to benefit from a treatment is all the more effective when it is started early.
“My whole generation took a long time to understand where it came from, what it was and then we also took quite a long time to find out how it was treated. At first, when you caught it, you were sure to die. And now we know how it is caught and we also know how it is treated. So, we really encourage you, on the one hand, to pay close attention to preventive measures,” indicates Emmanuel Masson, general director of Conakry Terminal.
This day, celebrated around the theme “Let’s follow the path of rights”, is an opportunity to get participants to know their status to avoid any surprises.
“You need to know your status. That means going to get tested from time to time, going to get tested regularly to find out if you are sick or not sick. If we are not sick, we continue to protect ourselves. If we are sick, we must protect ourselves twice as much because that is how we protect others. And then, if you are sick, there are treatments that exist, which allow you to live a completely normal life with the disease,” adds Emmanuel Masson.
Having taken part in this awareness ceremony, AIDS patients for years from the NGO Dreams gave testimonies about their situation despite living with AIDS. They took the opportunity to provide wise advice to the audience, inviting them to have the courage to be screened and find out their status.
“I have been living with this disease for years. Today, I am married and I have two children. So, you should know that HIV/AIDS is not only transmitted sexually. It can be contracted either in a beauty salon or hairdresser and this is valid for men and women. So, it is important to know your status and agree to seek treatment,” says Élisabeth from the NGO Dreams.
As a reminder, the human immunodeficiency virus (or HIV) is transmitted sexually and through blood.
It can also be transmitted from mother to child. This transmission can take place:
– either during the last trimester of pregnancy, the virus can pass from the mother to the fetus via the placenta;
– either during childbirth;
– or during breastfeeding.
It is also important to know that currently, no treatment can completely eliminate HIV from the body. However, early detection of HIV infection allows the person to benefit from effective treatment if it is started early.
YK
