Double Mess: The Fate Of People Living With HIV In Liberia; Amidst The Deadly Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

Written by Solomon Watkins-+231 (0) 886 427 519/ysolomonwwatkins@gamil.com

President of the Liberian Network of People Living with HIV (LIBNEP+) Joejoe Baysah

MONROVIA: More than three (3) decades now, HIV and AIDS continue to remain a major threat to Global Developmental Agendas, particularly programs of the Government of Liberia and its citizens.

According to the 2014 Liberia Demography Health Survey (2014LDS), the prevalence of people living with HIV has increased from 1.5% in 2007 to 1.9% currently. The survey noted that the 1.9% accounts for thirty eight thousand people tested HIV positive out of the Nation’s 4.2 million population.

As the national HIV and AIDS response is still confronted with challenges of stigma and discrimination, limited capacity for effective program implementation, ineffective monitoring and reporting of the national response, and most importantly, over dependency on external funding for the national program, Ebola which is being considered more than a health issue has begun to infect and killed people living with HIV in the country.

Already People Living with HIV (PLHIV) immune system are weakened by HIV and is only with the help of the Anti–retroviral therapy (ART) which is a treatment that can suppressed HIV and AIDS, latest reports gathered from associations of people living with the virus and their members revealed that more than seven (7) persons who had HIV have died of Ebola related causes in Liberia.