No fewer than 181,824 male and female condoms were distributed during the 2025 Carnival Calabar, the organisers have confirmed.
The disclosure was made by the Director-General of the Cross River State Agency for the Control of AIDS (CR-SACA), Dr Charles Iwara, who said the one-month campaign was implemented in partnership with the Cross River State Government, the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
According to him, the 9th edition of the Wise Up Campaign ran from December 1, World AIDS Day, to December 29, coinciding with the peak of Carnival Calabar festivities.
A major strategy was the establishment of the Wise Up Health Booth at the Calabar Christmas Village, one of the busiest social and entertainment hubs during the festive season.
The booth offered youth-friendly, stigma-free access to integrated health services outside the traditional hospital setting, enabling wider reach among young people and visitors.
As a result, nearly 100,000 persons were reached with health education, behavioural counselling, and sexual and reproductive health information and services.
Dr Iwara disclosed that 1,189 people also received HIV testing, with all positive cases promptly linked to care and treatment, reinforcing the campaign’s preventive and referral components.
Introduced in 2016, the Wise Up Carnival Campaign has become a key platform for delivering HIV prevention messages and youth health services during periods of high population movement into the state.
The 2025 edition was implemented under the theme “Your Choice Leaves Traces,” aligning with Calabar Carnival’s 20th anniversary theme, “Traces of Time,” and underscoring the long-term health implications of choices made during celebrations.
Beyond HIV prevention, services provided included malaria and hepatitis screening, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, family planning, pregnancy testing, medical consultations, and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
The campaign was driven by over 75 trained volunteers and supported by the state government and UNFPA.
