By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Nigeria has made significant progress in the AIDS response, and become a global lead in its control ahead of the 2030 global year to eradicate the disease.
Statistics from National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) showed a reduction in prevalence of 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 3.4 per cent in 2017 and 1.3 per cent in 2018.
The Acting South South Zonal Coordinator of NACA, Mr. Nnamnso-Owo Thomas disclosed this in a message made available to New Nigerian in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, 1,619,133 People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) are on treatment as at September 2022 when compared to 838,020 in 2017 while treatment sites have increased from 251 in 2007 to 2,262 in 2020.
HIV new infections have decreased from 103,404 in 2019 to 92,323 in 2021. Launched N62 billion (USD 150m) HIV trust fund in February 2022 to ensure sustainable mobilisation of resources from private sector towards eradication of AIDS in the country starting with the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. He said.
Thomas also stated that within the South South Zone, the agency has achieved so much with the surge programme and other projects as well as interventions.
These according to him, have led to increase in the number of people who have known their HIV status, number on treatment, expansion of HIV services to remote and hard reach areas.
He however, regretted that despite these achievements, some structural factors such as low income, social, cultural and legal barriers to the HIV/AIDS response have continued to increase the risk of the infection and unequal access to treatment and prevention services in the zone.
In Akwa Ibom State, the delay by Governor Udom Emmanuel in signing into law, the HIV/AIDS Anti-Stigmatization and Discrimination Bill which was passed into law by the House of Assembly over a year ago has contributed to low HIV response in the state.
These negativity include, stigmatisation and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS where they are denied access to social and public services in the state, fear of confidentiality breach and gender discrimination among others.
During the celebration of this year’s World AIDS Day (WAD) in Uyo, representatives of the Association of Women Living with HIV AIDS in Nigeria (ASWHAN) and Network of People Living with HIV AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Mrs. Rachael Ignatius and Mrs Elizabeth Udo respectively expressed sadness that thier members including their children still suffer denial to public services in the state.
Whereas the Anti-Stigmatization and Discrimination Bill if assented to, would eliminate all forms of discrimination based on HIV status; Create a supportive environment so that people living with HIV/AIDS can continue working under normal condition for as long as they are medically fit to do so; Promote appropriate and effective ways of managing HIV/AIDS in workplace, communities and other fields of human endeavours.
The Bill also seeks to guaranty equal opportunities in employment, public accommodation and transportation; protect medical information from being used against people living with HIV/AIDS and improve the emotional well-being and mental health of people living with HIV/AIDS among other benefits.
Confronting stigma and discrimination according to United Nations General Assembly in 2001, is a prerequisite for effective HIV prevention and care.
But the Project Manager of the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS, (AKSACA) Dr Igbemi Author Igbemi when contacted, assured that the Anti-Stigmatisation and Discrimination would soon be assented to by the governor and would be a major courageous and pragmatic steps forward.
Recall the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day was, “Equalise To End AIDS: Equal Access To Treatment And Prevention Services”
Gender inequalities, inequalities faced by key populations, and inequalities between children and adults have had a negative impacts on AIDS response, hence the theme Equalise to end AIDS is a call to all to be courageous and intentionally cooperate to tackle all forms of inequalities in other to increase access to available and equal life-serving HIV services to every underserved sub-group, stakeholders stated during the event.
