Immunologist: Don’t blame Government for AIDS crisis

Immunologist Kelman Gomez-Adams condemned those who seek to blame the Government for the HIV/AIDS “crisis” in the country, while placing the responsibility for a change in sexual behaviour on the shoulders of every citizen. Gomez-Adams was speaking yesterday at a seminar entitled “AIDS: Responding to the Crisis,” hosted by the Curepe Pentecostal Church. The seminar was aimed at providing practical solutions, equipping affected persons with the necessary coping skills and promoting the need for individual and collective responsibility in lifestyles through the application of Biblical principles. The immunologist lauded the church for its efforts before sharing his 19 years of experience with the congregation. He offered a history of the discovery of and research into the virus both from an international and domestic perspective, while clarifying various misconceptions regarding the disease.

Gomez-Adams made a passionate appeal to parents to educate their children about sex and AIDS and “stop tip-toeing around the issue. Don’t blame the Government, they have been doing work in the area since 1984.” “It is possible for Government to legislate sexual activity, but will it effectively control sexual behaviour? No. The responsibility lies in modifying our behaviour and the behaviour of our young people,” added  Gomez-Adams. According to the National Surveillance Unit Public Health Laboratory, 2,475 Trinidad citizens  have died from the virus and more than 17,000 nationals (predominantly teenaged females) are currently living with the disease.