The National AIDS Commission (NAS) on December, 2011 commemorated the World AIDS Day with the global Theme “Getting to Zero NEW HIV infection by 2015. BELIEVE IT! DO IT!”. As part of his global message on the commemoration of World AIDS Day. The United Nations Secretary- General Ban Kin Moon said that “as the world is heading into the fourth decade of the epidemic, there is hope that an end into the epidemic will be achieved. This hope of realizing the global vision of a zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDS- related death is strengthened by the progress made so far in scaling down on the growth of the epidemic”.

The Brief

On August 19th 2011, at the State House, Freetown, Sierra Leone,

The fifth National AIDS Council meeting was chaired for the fifth consecutive time by H.E. the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.

The fifth National AIDS Council (NAC) was truly a historical event in the national response to HIV and AIDS in Sierra Leone, witnessing the official launch and handing over of the 5 Key Pillar Documents to H.E. the President of Sierra Leone by the Director of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) Dr. Brima Kargbo.

The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), and the International  Rescue Mission (IRC) have just concluded two sets of trainings on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

On the 16th March 2011 the United States of America Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Michael Owen and Entourage including delegation from AIDS Health Care Foundation paid an official visit to the HIV and Infectious Diseases reference Laboratory reconstructed by the National HIV and AIDS Secretariat situated at Lakka in the outskirt of Freetown. In his address he praised the government of Sierra Leone for the leadership role played in stabilizing the HIV epidemic in the country.  He also lauded the effort and energetic leadership of the Director, Dr. Brima Kargbo for transforming a dilapidated structure to a modern and next to non Reference Laboratory in Sierra Leone. He described Sierra Leone as a Centre of excellence. He further said that Sierra Leone because of its laboratory policy is above many other countries in the Sub- region.