23 hours Ago By The Fiji Times
Health officials expressed shock at the rise in HIV/AIDS cases in Lautoka, according to an article published in The Fiji Times on December 2, 2004. The report quoted head of the Family Health Clinic Western, Dr Arvin Chaudhry, saying the trend was “shocking” for a city like Lautoka. Since arriving from England, Dr Chaudhry had diagnosed seven new cases, taking the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Lautoka to 22.
“But even though I had diagnosed seven new cases with HIV/AIDS, there is a strong chance the figure is higher because most of them did not know where they contracted the disease,” he said. “The figure could be multiplied by at least five to 10 because during counselling and confidential sessions with these patients, they revealed they had slept with numerous partners.” Dr Chaudhry said another major area of concern was all the people diagnosed with the virus were between 20 and 35 years.
Meanwhile, youths in Bua desperately needed activities or entertainment to keep them occupied to avoid the spread of HIV/AIDS there, campaigner Tuberi Cati said. Ms Cati, who lived with AIDS and had just returned from an awareness campaign in Bua, said youths of Lekutu in Bua must be kept occupied. “I really feel for these youths because from the conversations that I had with some of them, the only activities they involved themselves in was drinking yaqona and having sex,” she said.
Bua parliamentarian Josetaki Vula said the Ministry of Health needed to “go down to the level of the people to increase awareness of the disease”. “I believe the Ministry of Health needs to really increase its efforts in our province and target especially the youths,” Mr Vula said..
