19 June 2014 - The rate of contracting HIV infections in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State was “threatening”, State Minister of Health Tong Deng Anei said in the state capital Aweil today.

Mr. Anei said the number of confirmed HIV cases in recent months was higher than the state had witnessed before.

“We have a very high prevalence of HIV. In the last three months, we have (confirmed) 74 HIV cases,” said Mr. Anei. “The numbers we get are always going up and that is telling us something is going wrong within our community.”

Mr. Anei was speaking at the end of a 10-day HIV/AIDS workshop organized by UNMISS. Some 23 participants drawn from the organized forces, civil society, state ministries, media, religious leader and youth attended the workshop.

Participants covered topics like prevention methods, treatment and care for those infected and eliminating stigma as well as discrimination.

At the end of the workshop participants demonstrated what they had learned, such as the use of condoms, and presented dramas on issues covered.

“We are really going to be ambassadors from today (and carry the message). We should stand to stop HIV/AIDS,” said Garang Kuol Mabior, Director of the HIV/AIDS Commission. “We will pass this information on to others.”

Acting UNMISS State Coordinator Adewuyi Adewumi called on participants to become “agents of change” in their communities and to share their skills and knowledge with others.

“I believe you will not keep the knowledge you have acquired for your family, but for the benefit of the people of Northern Bahr El-Ghazal and South Sudan,” said Mr. Adewumi. “Beyond this training, we will further support you to come up with much larger trainings.”