TOGO: UN works to locate displaced HIV-positive people

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern over the HIV-positive people among the tens of thousands fleeing their homes as a result of post-election violence in Togo.

The agency fears that the rapid spontaneous displacement of people to neighbouring Benin and Ghana could result in anti-AIDS treatment being jeopardised.

UNICEF's country representative, Aicha Flambert, said although the agency could not confirm how many people had been forced by the prevailing circumstances to stop taking their drugs, a programme to identify people who had left their medication behind had been launched.

Flambert told the UN news service PlusNews: "We hope the planned expansion of our system of epidemiological surveillance among the displaced will help us to track them, and even show up new cases."

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]