A&B aims to test thousands for HIV this year

The AIDS Secetariart will be attempting to test 2,000 people for HIV as it prepares to launch Antigua & Barbuda’s leg of the Regional Testing Day next week.
The number of testing sites has also been increased as well as the operating hours at the various centres.
AIDS Programme Manager Delcora Williams said residents will be able to access voluntary counselling and testing for an entire month.
“People will not be able to offer an excuse as to why they do not know their HIV status, because the whole goal of this thing is to get people tested. If they are negative, we discuss with them how to remain negative and if they are positive we discuss with them how to live positively with HIV,” Williams said.
The month-long campaign was conceived by the Caribbean Broadcasting Media Partnership with the support of Scotiabank, ministries of Health departments from across the region and Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP).
Antigua’s first activity will be held on June 12 at the Yorks Community Centre from 2 pm to 8 pm and the City West Community Centre at the same time.
The activity will move to the Gray’s Farm community centre the following day.
“On the 13th, we will also be at the Cedar Grove Primary School and on June 14 we will be at the All Saints Anglican Church hall and at the Parham Clinic. What we are doing, is trying to be in different sections of the country so people do not have to come to town to do an HIV test,” Williams said.
 
(More in today’s Daily Observer)