Fours years ago, the confirmed/reported cases of HIV/AIDS in our country was only two. Now there are 11 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases. Only God knows how many more are infected and are still roaming our streets and villages. This is a frightening development indeed and one that requires the collective effort of people in our communities to deal with. Apart from ensuring that our people practice safe sex according to our moral values, they should also be encouraged to report to medical authorities any relative/s they think might be infected with HIV, so that necessary blood tests could be done to confirm whether they are infected or not. The seven women and four men who are currently confirmed to be infected with HIV/AIDS should also be asked to report the names of men and women that they might have infected to medical authorities, so that these men and women can undergo blood screening for HIV as well.
The campaign against HIV/AIDS must continue and our young people must be constantly reminded about our moral/religious values in relation to unacceptable sexual behaviours. Churches, Schools, NGOs, Social Welfare groups and all of us must support the Solomon Islands' STI and HIV National Campaign group in bringing awareness to our people about this deadly infection and to ensure that necessary measures are taken to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in our country.