CIRCB ORGANISES MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Cameroonian Professor Emeritus, Gottlieb Lobe Monekosso, former Minister of Public Health and Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa Region, on November 24, 2015 at the Chantal Biya International Reference Centre for Research on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS (CIRCB) said the management of AIDS patients has dominated infectious disease management strategies in the 21^st century and that, there is need for a better understanding on how to manage an AIDS patient who has been on drugs for five, ten or more years to enjoy a better quality of life. He was speaking to HIV researchers and experts during an international workshop on “Management of HIV/AIDS”.

In Sub Saharan Africa, Prof. Gottlieb Monekosso said individual patients are faced in the choice of antiretroviral drugs. Although a stepwise scaling-up of the AIDS Tratment Programme has been successful in Cameroon, the Professor Emeritus however argued that the improved and consolidated strategies in the AIDS response to provide reliable virological, immunological and clinical care are walking on a tightrope due to cost and accessibility. A such, new knowledge on HIV needs to be shared with clinicians, care-givers and affected communities.

The Director of CIRCB, Professor Alexis Ndjolo said CIRCB and its partners had organized four international workshops since 2011 to discuss ways to improve AIDS management in the Central Africa Sub Region. The current and 5^th edition of the workshop comes at the dawn of the 10^th Anniversary of CIRCB and according to Prof. Ndjolo will handle areas such as the options for AIDS treatment, new knowledge in point-care-laboratory assays for HIV/AIDS and the network of physicians, biologists, researchers and policy-makers in building a framework for clinical research and policy on HIV/AIDS.

Experts reiterate that all technologies needed to fight AIDS are available at CIRCB and it is time to consolidate achievements and surmount challenges that come with the struggle. Without focusing on an HIV vaccine, it is noted that right now talks today is on social vaccine aimed at helping young people establish proper behaviour towards the pandemic. Researchers are positive that the decentralization process is an ideal factor in curbing HIV because it will take treatment closer to patients.

© CT, 25/11/2015