Imperi is within the mining concession of Sierra Rutile.

“If you look at the [small] size of the population and consider the number, it is very high,” Mr Ngayanga told Radio Democracy in Freetown.

Sierra Leone has an annual HIV prevalence of 1.5 percent, according to figures from the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS). Even though this number ranks among the smallest in the world, there are concerns that the disease is growing due to lack of awareness.

Ngayanga also lamented a trend of defaulting in treatment by patients.

The civil society group Center for Coordination of Youths Activities (CCYA) is implementing a two year project in Bonthe and nearby Moyamba as part of a Global Fund funded initiative designed to raise awareness on the disease and ensure protection against it.