{"id":136807,"date":"2015-11-23T09:07:55","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T14:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/?p=136807"},"modified":"2015-11-23T09:07:55","modified_gmt":"2015-11-23T14:07:55","slug":"students-queue-to-know-their-hiv-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2015\/11\/students-queue-to-know-their-hiv-status","title":{"rendered":"Students Queue To Know Their HIV Status"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HIV-testing-2015d\"<\/p>\n

Geneva Johnson tells it like it is. The 19-year-old recognizes that HIV\/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among young people in the country. Hence she recently applauded The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI) for its campus-wide \u2018Know Your Status\u2019 HIV testing initiative.<\/p>\n

\"HIV-testing-2015c\"\u201cIt\u2019s scary not to know your status. You may be faithful, but your partner may not be faithful. I\u2019m just being real. It\u2019s real out there, and you don\u2019t want to be sleeping with someone who\u2019s wearing a mask,\u201d she said forthrightly.<\/p>\n

Geneva was among the scores of students who queued up for the fourth annual event that went beyond testing, but also had informational sessions to strengthen awareness of the deadly disease. Discussions included how the virus is spread and preventative measures – all a part of the educational component to help people make informed decisions.<\/p>\n

Health Educator, Emile Lesbott, said it is important to not simply have campaigns that are solely geared towards testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to just prick a finger. We want to reinforce what they have heard and undo what they don\u2019t understand. Abstinence is best, but if you are sexually active, protect yourself. It\u2019s an ongoing discussion,\u201d said Mr. Lesbott who has worked with the HIV\/AIDS Centre for 15 years.<\/p>\n

Nursing Officer, Warren Knowles said in order to reach all populations, it is imperative to conduct such outreach programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also go to Junkanoo groups, parks and bars. We go into the community because it\u2019s affecting the whole nation. It\u2019s a national epidemic,\u201d said the nurse, who along with 14 co-workers represented the Ministry of Health and National HIV and AIDS program.<\/p>\n

There have been inroads though, as according to a Ministry of Health HIV data statement, The Bahamas has experienced success in reducing the number of new HIV infections, as the number of new cases decreased overall by 34% between 2003 and 2012.<\/p>\n

Nurse Knowles added though that youth ages 17 to 24 is a target group for the HIV\/AIDS Centre, as the rate of infection is high.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Electrical Installation student, Anthony Parks stressed the need for young people to protect themselves. The 22-year-old expressed concern that too many individuals do not think logically under pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people let their hormones and bodies get the best of them. You have to think before you act. In that moment, people get weak. They don\u2019t protect themselves and regret it afterwards,\u201d said the young man.<\/p>\n

\"HIV-testing-2015b\"<\/p>\n

BTVI\u2019s Dean of Student Affairs, Raquel Bethel, noted that BTVI facilitates the HIV testing once per year because it is vital to be regularly tested and know one\u2019s status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe unite with our partners to raise awareness. It is our hope that students are encouraged to know their status, and we hope they take advantage of the free test, as information can save lives,\u201d said Ms. Bethel.<\/p>\n

Health Educator, Emile Lesbott, has a consultation with a BTVI student during the institution\u2019s recent campus-wide HIV testing day.<\/p>\n

Clerk in the HIV\/AIDS Centre, Tina Deveaux, assists a BTVI student through the registration process of the HIV testing held at the institution.<\/p>\n

The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI)<\/p>\n

Lab Technician at the HIV Reference Lab, Ministry of Public Health, Desmond Ferguson, prepares to prick the finger of a BTVI student who volunteered to know his HIV status.
\nBTVI students register to know their HIV status during the fourth annual testing day that saw scores of students lining up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Geneva Johnson tells it like it is. The 19-year-old recognizes that HIV\/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among young people in the country. Hence she recently applauded The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI) for its campus-wide \u2018Know Your Status\u2019 HIV testing initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":136808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[204,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}