Even with a partial count, a new HIV/AIDs testing record has been created by the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS)’s National Week of Testing which spanned October 3-7.Figures thus far suggest that 41,Jerseys NFL Wholesale,578 individuals opted to be tested this year, marking a massive increase from the 35,771 persons tested last year, according to Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.“This has been a very satisfying week and once again it is consistent with every single year where we have created a new record.? We would have been quite satisfied with reaching 36,000 but we in fact now know that we have surpassed 40,000, a mark that even the most experienced of our practitioners had believed was an impossible task.”Among those tested were 52 per cent females and 48 per cent males with an overall prevalence rate of 0.6 percent,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/FC-Borussia-Dortmund/, although the estimated prevalence based on the UNAIDS’ formula is 1.3 per cent of the adult population.However, according the Minister, in all of the Ministry’s programmes, including its clinical undertakings at the hospitals, Guyana’s figures are looking more like one per cent further reduction.“You will recall that we started at around five per cent in the year 2000 and prior to that in the early 1990s there were estimates of about seven per cent of the population. Indeed among pregnant women two early studies in the late 1990s revealed prevalence among the pregnant population of about five to seven per cent.? We have seen those numbers gradually declining…”But with the use of public health experience and knowledge,Cheap Jerseys China, Minister Ramsammy asserted that “these are not gradual reductions,Cheap Jerseys, these are in fact quite dramatic reductions. What it reveals is that our strategy of making people aware, on the one hand, and making people take action to reconcile their knowledge with their action have worked.”And people are indeed becoming more knowledgeable and proactive, according to the Minister, when it comes to the prevention of HIV transmission.? He pointed out that since in the late 1990s, the ministry has been insisting that “knowing your status” is the most powerful catalyst to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease and that knowledge alone is not enough.In recognition of the fact that knowledge is power, the Minister speculated that once an individual is aware of his/her status they will either try to retain their negative status or if positive take the necessary action to get treatment.? The treatment component, the Minister added,Cheap NFL Jerseys, also contributed to the reduction of HIV transmission.“We early on recognized that even though it is an overwhelming challenge; even though it is an expensive activity, that it is worth promoting this activity.”Minister Ramsammy further opined that the Guyanese people now rank as the people who most know their HIV status.? He added too that there are few countries that can equal Guyana’s records of the number of adults who know their HIV status, thus there are more people who are taking action to help stop HIV.In addition, the Minister observed that knowing one’s status brings with it a sense of understanding and by extension,wholesale nfl jerseys, a reduction of stigmatization.The National Week of Testing was officially introduced by the Ministry of Health in November 2006, with the support of stakeholders.? The initiative has continued on an annual basis ever since making more readily accessible HIV testing to all sections of the Guyanese community.? While a daily report on the result of the recent testing week is being compiled by NAPS, a final report is expected to be compiled after all reports from the various testing sites are submitted to and compiled by NAPS.