THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) HIV/AIDS Awareness Prevention Project will unveil its prevention posters and introduce the Army lapel pins at a Health Fair Thursday.

Themed ‘Joining the battle against HIV/AIDS in Guyana’, the event is the first of its kind, said Programme Manager, Ms. Beverly Gomes-Lovell.

It starts at 14:00 h on the playfield at Base Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands, Georgetown and speakers at the opening include United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. David Robinson, U.S. Military Liaison Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Steven Stanley and a representative of the Ministry of Health.

A photographic display chronicling other activities and a cultural presentation will take place before the 19:00 h close.

The Guyana Red Cross, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association(GRPA), Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project (GHARP), Ministry of Health, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC), National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), Cancer Institute of Guyana, Guyana Rainforest Herbs, National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Guyana Association for Alternative Medicine, Life Line Counselling Services, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Centre, Merundoi, International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA), Youth Challenge Guyana and Pharmagen Enterprises will all have booths at the venue.

The GDF Medical Corps will be in attendance, too, offering the public free testing for hypertension/blood pressure, blood sugar and diabetes and voluntary counselling, among other things.

Implementation of the host project began in March 2006, with sponsorship by the U.S. Southern Command and is part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Since the commencement, it has established permanent VCT sites at Base Camp Ayanganna, Coast Guard Headquarters, Ruimveldt and Camp Stephenson, Timehri and stages outreaches to outlying bases.

Such services at Ruimveldt and Timehri are available to the public, as well and several eye-catching billboards with timely messages have been erected at strategic points on army bases.