One in every four new HIV cases in Guyana involves young people between the ages of 15 and 24, a trend described as concerning by Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) Executive Director Kobe Smith.
Because the age range extends to adolescents under 16, the trend also raises a child-protection concern.
Speaking with Ignite News on the wider trend, Smith said it threatens to undermine gains made in HIV testing, treatment and prevention over the past two decades.
“That’s a concerning reality in a situation that we need to address, because Guyana has made significant progress in testing and ensuring that there’s treatment and ensuring that persons know their status, in ensuring that persons are, of course, virally suppressed and so we really need to ensure that we don’t roll back on the gains that we’ve made over the past 15 to 20 years,” he said.
With young people accounting for a portion of new HIV cases, Smith said the response must go beyond testing and treatment to ensure they have accurate information they can understand, relate to and use to make informed decisions about their sexual health.
Beyond content, he added that such information must be engaging and creative, using tools such as animation and storytelling to better connect with young people, helping them understand protection and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which are infections passed from person to person through sexual contact and may cause symptoms such as discharge, itching, painful urination and pain during sex.
Smith said the GRPA is focused on listening to young people and learning from their experiences to better understand how it can meet their needs and provide services that are relevant to them.
“We’ve been listening to young people in schools, out of schools, we’ve been listening to young people online and that has really informed a lot of the work that we do at the community level, to be able to know that we’re actually not just delivering services, but that we’re seeing impact,” he explained.
Young people have also told the GRPA they want sexual-health services that are either free or affordable, Smith noted. Against that backdrop, he encouraged young people to take a proactive approach to their sexual health by getting regular STI and HIV screenings rather than waiting until symptoms appear.
“Generally persons would be screened maybe once or twice a year, depending on the risk or vulnerability. So we really want to ensure that persons generally know their status at least once a year and of course, they’re testing sites that are publicly available that are supported by the Ministry of Health. For persons who would like to come to GRPA, we’re also an incredible part of the Ministry of Health and we also provide STI, HIV testing and screening,” he added.
Smith added that the GRPA provides HIV treatment in a safe and confidential environment for people who test positive.
