Nevis World AIDS Day Activities Lined Up
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Ms. Nadine Caines
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Charlestown, Nevis: Nevis will join other countries of the world as they mark World AIDS Day on December 1, 2007.
Nadine Caines, Education and Prevention Officer, Nevis HIV/AIDS Coordinating Unit, announced that this year’s activities in Nevis would be celebrated at the Memorial Square, from 4.00 p.m.
Activities will include face painting and paintings on T-shirts. From 5-6 p.m. there will be a ceremony where the Minister of Health, Hensley Daniel will give an address. Artists and dancing groups will also deliver HIV/AIDS messages through various art forms.
This year’s theme is “Take The Lead Stop AIDS: Keep The Promise”. Nevis HIV/AIDS unit has chosen a sub-theme dubbed ‘Face Up- HIV/AIDS is everybody’s business.’
Meanwhile, Mrs Caines briefed reporters on a recent trip she and another officer at the Unit, Shana Howell, made to Guyana. Caines and Howell participated at a workshop dubbed “Patient Monitoring and Tracking Peer Exchange Programme.”
“We are trying to standardise every program by putting in place a system that monitors and tracks HIV/AIDS from the time somebody is diagnosed to the time one gets treatment,” Caines said. ~~Adz:Right~~
There are 15 persons living with HIV/AIDS in Nevis who are receiving treatment, said Caines.
In St. Kitts and Nevis, there are no standardised stand alone clinics, unlike Guyana where such clinics have been established. Caines explained that in standardised clinics, a person gets all HIV/AIDS services at one stop.
“St. Kitts and Nevis is unique. We will work with clinical care teams and physicians to keep track of patients and monitor how they are progressing. Their CD4 count will be monitored,” she said. She also noted that Global Fund administrators require that a Monitoring and Evaluation system is put in place.
“we need everybody’s support across the board,” she added.
Mrs. Canines was impressed by a hotline service that is available from 8.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m. The hotline service, said Caines is a project that the Nevis HIV/AIDS unit hopes to create.
Mrs Caines said Guyana was far ahead of Nevis in terms of HIV/AIDS programming. She noted that the media houses pay special attention to HIV/AIDS.
“Although there is only one radio station in Guyana, there are 15 TV stations dominated by local programming. We have a lot of work to do to get where Guyana is,” Caines said.
“People need to come up with their own activities. We welcome everyone on board,” she said.
Shana Howell, the officer from the Unit who accompanied Caines to Guyana, participated in a Peer-to-Peer Exchange programme and also visited VCT centres and witnessed a national VCT day.
Results of a HIV test takes 15 minutes, Howell said. In Nevis, the results of a HIV/AIDS test take a week. Howell and participants from other Caribbean countries visited Mother To Child clinics. At these clinics food banks have been established for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS, who cannot afford to feed themselves.
Howell said that the passion government ministers have when they fight HIV/AIDS overwhelmed her.
“The political will is visible,” she said.
On a light touch, Nadine Caines said Guyana’s Roti is the best she had ever eaten.
“Guyana is not what I expected. It is a very beautiful country,” she said
