The National Socially Transmitted Diseases and AIDS Control Program (NSACP) will use friends and peers of key populations to increase attendance at STD clinics and promote condom use among those engaged in risky sexual behaviour.
Senior Registrar, NSACP, Dr. Pradeep Premadasa, told the Sunday Observer that the National HIV/Aids Prevention program has two objectives: 1. To maintain the low prevalence rate of 0.1%, 2. Provide maximum care for those already affected by HIV/AIDS.
“Our problem is identifying these key groups due to their specific categories and the stigma surrounding the disease. So we have decided to call them ‘Hard to Reach Groups’. As they can infect others in society, the NSACP is training peer leaders who belong to their specific groups, and can thus reach them easily to persuade them to visit our clinics and make use our services,” he said.
“All of these services are free, including the distribution of condoms. Apart from conveying the message of AIDS prevention, these peer leaders will be expected to inform their peers of the benefits of condoms as the main tool to prevent AIDS and ensure safe sex,” Dr. Premadasa said.
The targeted categories include the following: Males having sex with the same sex, transgender people, beach boys, sex workers, drug users who inject themselves, and prisoners.
The NSACP also hopes to eliminate Mother to Child HIV and Syphilis and has already initiated island-wide screening of all pregnant mothers for HIV, last year. The response from most of our mothers to be visiting our clinics has been very good , /The majority have volunteered getting themselves screened for HIV although it is their individual choice,” Dr Premadasa said.
“This means the test is being normalised and mothers are accepting the idea of being screened for the disease,” he said.
Today, eighty children under five years, infected with HIV by their mothers, are being treated by the NSACP while over 2,000 adults live with HIV.
The national target to eliminate AIDS in Sri Lanka is 2025. This is five years ahead of the world target of 2030.