{"id":26279,"date":"2025-11-25T10:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=26279"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:41:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:41:19","slug":"claim-24000-females-living-with-hiv-aids-in-liberia-misleading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/claim-24000-females-living-with-hiv-aids-in-liberia-misleading\/","title":{"rendered":"Claim 24,000 females living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia, misleading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Claim:<\/strong> A Facebook influencer in Liberia, who goes by the name Bassa Monk, is alleging that \u201c24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"136\" height=\"59\" data-attachment-id=\"24144\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/misleading-boakais-2-year-budget-for-agriculture-is-not-bigger-than-weahs-cdc-in-5-years\/misleading-4-2-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/MISLEADING-4-2.png?fit=136%2C59&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"136,59\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MISLEADING-4-2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/MISLEADING-4-2.png?fit=136%2C59&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/MISLEADING-4-2.png?resize=136%2C59\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24144\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-5ed94a78a18c7e825f3b65010478801e wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#7f7e07\"><strong>Verdict: <\/strong>Misleading, the National AIDS Commission of Liberia puts the number at 21,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Full Text&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The social media space, particularly Facebook in Liberia, went buzzing following the pronouncement of 36,000 Liberians living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nac.gov.lr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National&nbsp; AIDS Commission of Liberia <\/a>on Thursday, November 20, 2026. This report garnered significant media attention, as evident in the following links:<a href=\"https:\/\/frontpageafricaonline.com\/news\/hiv-cases-surge-to-36000-in-liberia-women-account-for-two-thirds-of-cases\/#:~:text=Accordingly%2C%20the%20Commission%20said%2C%20the,%2C%20awareness%2C%20and%20treatment%20access.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> here<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/share\/p\/17VqmPJf4B\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newrepublicliberia.com\/36000-liberians-living-with-hiv-aids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are posts from some Facebook users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"26281\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/claim-24000-females-living-with-hiv-aids-in-liberia-misleading\/image-696\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?fit=1280%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=1024%2C1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26281\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?resize=500%2C500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-95.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of the discussion, a social media influencer in Liberia who goes by the name <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/bassa.monk\/photos_of\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bassa Monk <\/a>is claiming that 24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monk took to his <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1AC87NowTd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official Facebook page,<\/a> posting, \u201c24,000 females, ages 15-49, living with HIV\/AIDS. To the roasted fish, pizza, and quesadillas gang, continue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The post generated over 40 comments, more than 70 emojis, and just 1 share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below is a screenshot of some of the comments made under the post<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"26280\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/claim-24000-females-living-with-hiv-aids-in-liberia-misleading\/image-695\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?fit=1600%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26280\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?resize=500%2C500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-143.jpeg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given the potential to mislead, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Verification<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To verify the claim, the researcher first contacted the claimant, Bassa Monk, via messenger, but received no response after sending him a couple of messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the researcher obtained a copy of the commission\u2019s report release, and according to the report, 36,000 people are living with HIV in Liberia, representing a prevalence of 0.9%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the chairperson of the National AIDS Commission (NAC), Dr Cecelia Nuta, \u201cThe 2013 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) reported a prevalence of 2.1%. Of this number, women account for 21,000. Testing coverage has improved significantly. Out of the 36,000 persons estimated to be living with HIV in Liberia, 31,000 persons have been tested and know their HIV status. Out of the 31,000 persons tested, 30,798 are on treatment. To date, 95% of those on treatment are virally suppressed.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Screenshot of the commission\u2019s press statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"760\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"26282\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/claim-24000-females-living-with-hiv-aids-in-liberia-misleading\/image-697\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?fit=1188%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1188,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?fit=760%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?resize=760%2C1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26282\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?resize=760%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 760w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?resize=223%2C300&amp;ssl=1 223w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?resize=768%2C1034&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?resize=1140%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-96.png?w=1188&amp;ssl=1 1188w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on the official statement issued by the AIDS commission of Liberia, the claim that 24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia is misleading.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Claim: A Facebook influencer in Liberia, who goes by the name Bassa Monk, is alleging that \u201c24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia.\u201d Verdict: Misleading, the National AIDS Commission of Liberia puts the number at 21,000. Full Text&nbsp; The social media space, particularly Facebook in Liberia, went buzzing following the pronouncement of 36,000 Liberians living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia by the National&nbsp; AIDS Commission of Liberia on Thursday, November 20, 2026. This report garnered significant media attention, as evident in the following links: here, here, and here. Here are posts from some Facebook users. In the wake of the discussion, a social media influencer in Liberia who goes by the name Bassa Monk is claiming that 24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in the country. Monk took to his official Facebook page, posting, \u201c24,000 females, ages 15-49, living with HIV\/AIDS. To the roasted fish, pizza, and quesadillas gang, continue.\u201d The post generated over 40 comments, more than 70 emojis, and just 1 share. Below is a screenshot of some of the comments made under the post Given the potential to mislead, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim. Verification&nbsp; To verify the claim, the researcher first contacted the claimant, Bassa Monk, via messenger, but received no response after sending him a couple of messages. However, the researcher obtained a copy of the commission\u2019s report release, and according to the report, 36,000 people are living with HIV in Liberia, representing a prevalence of 0.9%. According to the chairperson of the National AIDS Commission (NAC), Dr Cecelia Nuta, \u201cThe 2013 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) reported a prevalence of 2.1%. Of this number, women account for 21,000. Testing coverage has improved significantly. Out of the 36,000 persons estimated to be living with HIV in Liberia, 31,000 persons have been tested and know their HIV status. Out of the 31,000 persons tested, 30,798 are on treatment. To date, 95% of those on treatment are virally suppressed.\u201d&nbsp; Screenshot of the commission\u2019s press statement. Conclusion&nbsp; Based on the official statement issued by the AIDS commission of Liberia, the claim that 24,000 females between the ages of 15-49 are living with HIV\/AIDS in Liberia is misleading.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1960,121,3815],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3532],"class_list":["post-26279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liberia","category-health","category-homepage"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-6PR","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3532,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"jackson-c-clay-jr","display_name":"Jackson C. Clay Jr.","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a1a3a0ffb70288fc47151919d35bfbf84da6ab614d08ddda46c3d772f23f39b?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-25-at-10.37.43-AM.png?fit=415%2C362&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26279"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26284,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26279\/revisions\/26284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26279"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=26279"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=26279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}