{"id":163448,"date":"2022-11-27T16:04:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T20:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=163448"},"modified":"2022-11-27T16:04:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T20:04:50","slug":"jamaican-youth-on-a-mission-to-fight-hiv-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaican-youth-on-a-mission-to-fight-hiv-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamaican youth on a mission to fight HIV\/AIDS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Back on local soil after completing a Master of Science degree in Public Health and Health Promotion at England\u2019s Brunel University London, Chad Morgan is looking to utilise his wealth of knowledge to play an active role in Jamaica\u2019s fight against HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>

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Morgan, one of last year\u2019s Chevening scholars, told the\u00a0Jamaica Observer<\/strong>\u00a0that he believes the additional focus needs to be placed on youth between the ages of 16 and 24 if Jamaica should ever achieve HIV\/AIDS epidemic control.<\/p>\n

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According to Morgan, there is a recognisable gap between sexually active young people and those willing to access HIV\/AIDS preventative measures. He pointed out this trend has been a worldwide cause for concern as this age group is most at risk for contracting a sexually transmitted infection.<\/p>

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\u201cFor about four years we have been having a steady increase in young people within that age group with new infections, which is also alarming and this is not just in Jamaica, this is happening globally. A lot of my research would have shown that in places like the United States of America and different parts of Africa, young people are also emerging with HIV,\u201d Morgan told the\u00a0Sunday Observer<\/strong>.<\/p>

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Morgan believes that a \u201cconsolidated and coordinated approach\u201d will greatly benefit Jamaica\u2019s efforts in controlling and subsequently eradicating this deadly infection. But, the scholar noted that this approach will require health professionals and educators to push past their current limits with the country\u2019s sex education curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have mechanisms in place to see where the virus is going to go. We can do projections and we have the professionals to do those things. I don\u2019t think we are doing enough to address them, so I want to do something that does not exist as yet. I want to see a consolidated and coordinated approach, which would be a multi-sectoral youth project that looks at the whole youth,\u201d Morgan explained.<\/p>

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He went on to state that this approach will provide yout with quality information regarding HIV\/AIDS and its preventative measures from a very early age. While he recognises that information is already being offered to youth through the education system, Morgan told the\u00a0Sunday Observer<\/strong>\u00a0that Jamaica is \u201cshying away from\u201d more comprehensive sexual education programmes.<\/p>\n

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