World AIDS Day OpEd
Ambassador Garvey’s Statements
Know your status...live long...live strong
By Janet E. Garvey
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Cameroon
World Aids Day is December 1, and I want to take this opportunity to commend the dedicated men and women of the United States and Cameroon who are working together to save lives and to create hope for a future free of HIV/AIDS.
I am particularly pleased that the office of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (known as CDC) in Mutengene is providing special support to the Cameroon National AIDS Control Committee during the week leading up to World Aids Day. CDC has supplied test kits for Cameroon’s campaign to provide voluntary HIV/AIDS counseling and testing. In addition, CDC employees are providing laboratory training and technical support for HIV/AIDS testing at locations being organized by the national committee, including the University of Yaounde, the University of Buea, the Mutengene and Muyuka markets, and health centers in the Northwest and West regions.
I want to congratulate the government and people of Cameroon for taking a proactive approach to the problem of HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately there are many countries in the world, some of which are in Africa, where national governments still refuse to accept the reality that HIV/AIDS exists and that the main mode of transmission is through sexual activity. I commend the government of Cameroon for recognizing the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS problem and for taking actions to address it.
I want to encourage everyone to take the simple test that will tell you whether or not you are HIV positive or negative. When you take the test you should also receive counseling so that you can understand the steps you should take to remain healthy, whether your test is positive or negative. If you are HIV positive there are steps you can take to stay healthy and treatment you can receive if your health starts to deteriorate. If the results of your test are negative you need to understand the steps you should take in order to stay HIV free.
In the days leading up to World Aids Day, volunteers with the United States Peace Corps located in all 10 regions of Cameroon will be encouraging and supporting special community activities to educate Cameroonians about HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation and the benefits of HIV/AIDS counseling and testing. These special efforts over the next few days are in addition to the work, including ongoing HIV/AIDS education, that these 145 American volunteers do throughout Cameroon 365 days a year.
The United States leads the world in its level of support for HIV/AIDS relief. In 2003 President Bush promised to lead the global fight against HIV/AIDS by establishing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the largest commitment in history by any nation to combat a single disease internationally. Through this program the U.S. government has already provided $18.8 billion in HIV/AIDS funding, and the U.S. Congress has authorized up to $48 billion more to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next five years. Much of this money has provided and will continue to provide antiretroviral treatment to AIDS-afflicted persons throughout the world. The United States is also the largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which is an innovative approach to international health financing involving a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector, and groups of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Money and international programs are part of the solution to combating HIV/AIDS. But success depends on every individual. And every individual is responsible for his or her own destiny. That is why I support initiatives in Cameroon to provide HIV/AIDS counseling and testing throughout the country. Know your status by being tested. Live long by understanding how you can stay healthy, whether you are HIV positive or negative. And live strong by understanding the treatment and support available if you have AIDS.