The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has distributed 500,000 units of condom and conducted free HIV tests across different locations of Abuja to mark the International Condom Day (ICD) and Valentine's Day, the Abuja coordinator of the group, Kema Onu, has said.
The event tagged "Wrap Your Love: Play Safe, Stay Safe" involves distribution of condom accompanied by free instant HIV tests and AIDS awareness activities.
The distribution and free HIV tests which started on the 13th of February culminated at Eden garden in Jabi Abuja on the 14th which was a red and white affair as people came out to celebrate valentine.
According to Onu, "People are now coming out freely to get tested; formerly there used to be palpable tension... but now there is awareness that HIV is not a death sentence. The main thing was to distribute condoms and encourage people to use it as a viable means of preventing HIV."
Dr Kema further added that "what is important is for people to draw the line between what is ideal and what is real. It is ideal to actually abstain from sex and that's the safest way for prevention of HIV; but when you are talking about human life, you have to be realistic. That is why we insist that use of condom will make a very realistic way for prevention of not just HIV but even emerging viruses." It would be recalled that the International Condom Day is commemorated every February 13 yearly to raise awareness on the benefits of using condoms for HIV/AIDS prevention & spread
Source: All Africa News
