Wiyaala joins fans to undergo HIV screening

Mis Noella Wiyaala, a top Ghanaian Afro-pop singer and songwriter together with some of her fans took part in a free HIV Testing Services during the 61st Independence Day parade at the Jubilee Park in Wa.

The Afro-pop singer and songwriter, who combined her native Sissala and Waale Dialects together with English in her songs did not only convince her fans to take part in the HIV Testing but also encouraged the public to take advantage of the free screening to know their status.

More than 500 people took part in the test, which organisers described as a big success.

The exercise was organized by the Upper West Regional Technical Support Unit (TSU) of the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the National Association of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+) and SG Mobile Health Service.

Mr. Dramani Yakubu, the Technical Coordinator at the TSU of the GAC in the Upper West Region commended Wiyaala for taking such a bold step to know her HIV Status and also encouraging her fans and others to do so.

He encouraged other celebrities to emulate Wiyaala's example by taking the test, adding that, this could be a big boost to the achievement of the global 90-90-90 fast track target by 2030.

Mr. Yakubu said the TSU in the region adopted a strategy of mobilizing the public to undergo the free HIV Testing since it was not easy for them to go for the screening on their own will at a cost.

He said apart from the HIV Testing Services, there were also Blood Pressure (BP) and Body Mass Index (BMI) testing as well as the promotion and distribution of condoms.

He said posters and leaflets containing messages on HIV were distributed to the public with the aim of getting them to know more about the disease and why the need for them to take the test to know their status.