From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 3, December 2001.

Tonga declared war on HIV/AIDS on November 29 when Princess Nanasipau‘u, at the international Dateline Hotel, launched Tonga’s Strategic plan to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Dr Salesi ‘Akau‘ola, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee told the gathering that the Strategic Plan is a commitment by Tonga to a United Nations global campaign to thwart the spread of AIDS.

The Strategic Plan covers a four year period to 2005, and it aims at creating an awareness about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections in a cross section of the community.

Salesi said that work on the Strategic Plan began in 1998 after Dr Seini Kupu from the Ministry of Health and other representatives from the Tonga National Youth Council, the Leuleu Mafana AIDS Foundation and a village youth group attended the first regional Strategic Planning Workshop on Sexually Transmitted Infections HIV/AIDS, held in Apia, Samoa.

Confusion

There are discrepancies in the statistics of people who have been infected by the HIV virus, and who have AIDS in Tonga. While one report says 12 and another says 17. The Strategic Plan reported that this was to be expected “since the identification of the HIV patient is not revealed, only some code numbers.”  

The launching of the Strategic Plan coincided with a week-long workshop hosted by the Ministry of Health, a National HIV/AIDS Committee and the Leuleu Mafana AIDS Foundation. At the workshop young Saane Pulotu Vakameilalo (9), read a poem written by her mother Fusi Pulotu Vakameilalo who died from AIDS two years ago. A group from the Salvation Army sang a song that was also written by Fusi.

AIDS took the lives of Saane’s parents, her father first, then her mother, but fortunately the children have been tested negative for the HIV virus.