Western Equatoria state health minister Bridget Nagomoro on Friday called on South Sudanese citizens to speak out about the “silent killer” HIV/AIDS.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Maridi Health Science Institute, Bridget said there is a very high rate of HIV/AIDS in Western Equatoria but people choose to stay quiet about the disease due to stigma.
“Somebody who suffers from HIV, who has been tested, we all know as relatives and friends this person is dying or has died of HIV/AIDS, but when we hold the last funeral we say the person was having heartburn,” she explained.
“Have that courage come up and say, ‘my daughter has passed away because of HIV/AIDS,’ ” Bridget said. “Let us take care of this, because all of us will perish not knowing how we are being affected.”
The health minister said South Sudanese only focus on the sound of guns which are killing people, but “we still forget that HIV is a silent killer.”
She said people need to talk openly about HIV and AIDS if South Sudan is going to stop the deadly disease.