Stakeholders Mark World AIDS Day, Counsel, run tests, in Benin

   Stakeholders at the rally/health  walk           to mark "World AIDS Day" in Benin               City.

By Bernadette Idalu

The Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN) in commemoration of, "World AIDS Day" yesterday, December 1, 2022,  held a rally/health walk which kicked off from the State Secretariat Complex, Block D Parking Lot, Benin City, through designated route, in partnership with critical stakeholders to sensitize and educate on HIV/AIDS even as collaborators frowned at stigma and associated misconceptions.

The day which had the theme, "Equalize (To end AIDS)" witnessed stakeholders and partners giving health talks to commuters and pedestrians along designated route,  gifting such persons with latex barrier contraceptives and lubricants, encouraging them to  use to cut down on sexually transmitted infection and unwanted babies.

Also, effort was made to encourage people to come forth for voluntary screening/testing segment to ascertain their HIV status and need to start off with the anti-retroviral treatment, if positive, since HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence due to the advent of quality drugs aided by government policy of provision of free treatment at designated government treatment facilities.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Edo State - State Agency for the Control of AIDS (Edo SACA), Mr. Oguta Amidu, who put the prevalence rate of the disease at 1.9% at state level, encouraged people to make use of HIV mobile testing services while maintaining that the day was marked to Increase/raise awareness on HIV/AIDS and its prevention strategies.

He stated that the theme for the event was based on a global call to ensure everyone had access to preventive services irrespective of sexual orientation, race or creed. This preventive measures he noted  encouraged partners with HIV to continue with medication till the virus becomes undetectable; making use of preexposure prophylaxis (PREP) by serodiscondant couples wherein the negative partner takes the drugs for a month prior to the fusion with  the positive partner to prevent infection and transmission of the HIV virus to expected child.

To bridge the issue of stigma, he said effort was already put in place in collaboration with community pharmacies in the 36 states of Nigeria to push out oral self test kits at the cost prize of one thousand Naira to boost voluntary self screening, early detection and need for treatment.

The World AIDS Day, he said, was a reminder to the populace to adhere to the prevention strategy of abstinence from sex if not married, being faithful to partner if married and making use of condoms if one cannot remain faithful to partner.

He observed, "Since the advent of COVID 19, people have forgotten that HIV/AIDS has no cure hence the need to raise consciousness for them to endeavour to use prevention strategies."

State Coordinator, CiSHAN, Mr. Saliu Aidorolo while stating efforts to track and educate vulnerable groups noted that HIV screening, "Puts your mind at rest; you get linked to services if positive, and placed on drugs which are effective."

A stakeholder, Dr. Bright Oniovokukor said "Some gains have been made in the fight against AIDS leading to the pullback of numerous cases of AIDS to HIV even up to the point of having U=U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable), a major break through."

Nonetheless, he called for sustained resource mobilization to stem new infections which are  driven by low awareness creation.

Incidentally, the Edo State chapter of the Network of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) despite observing the day, however, advocated on an independent basis, for government's intervention at making the treatment process  more accessible and  comfortable to members in the three geopolitical zones of the state.

Synergy for the event was built between SACA, Edo State Ministry of Health, Heartland Alliance, CiSHAN, NEPWHAN and other stakeholders.