The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has raised the alarm after about 80,000 individuals tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Nasarawa state.
The agency, however, revealed that the identified HIV-positive persons are currently receiving treatment in the state.
The Executive Director of Nasarawa State AIDS Control Agency, Dr. Ruth Bello disclosed this during Saturday’s visit by NACA officials to Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
He said: “About 80,000 individuals have been identified as HIV-positive and are currently receiving treatment in the state. We have about 80,000 persons now identified with HIV and currently under treatment in the state.
“We also have a law against discrimination and stigma in the state, which has gone a long way in encouraging marriages between HIV negative persons and positive persons without infecting each other.”
Bello further revealed that the prevalence rate of HIV in Nasarawa has dropped to two percent.
According to him, The state has scored very high in prevention and treatment with the prevalence rate of HIV now at just two percent.
Bello noted that one other significant progress made by Nasarawa state was the existence of a law against discrimination and stigma in Nasarawa State, which had contributed to fostering marriages between HIV-negative and positive individuals without the fear of transmission.
Also, the Secretary of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Nasarawa chapter, Ruth Yakubu also shared her personal story of living with HIV for 18 years.
She maintained that HIV was not a death sentence, adding that she has a HIV-negative husband and children.
Yakubu attributed the success of the HIV response among her colleagues to NACA’s undetectable equals untransmittable campaign, which emphasizes viral suppression.
On her part, the Coordinator of Antiretroviral Therapy, Dr. Esther Audu said counselling plays a crucial role in determining individuals’ readiness for treatment, as the news of testing positive for HIV can be devastating and may lead to resistance towards initiating treatment.
She revealed that over 5,000 individuals are currently undergoing treatment in the state.
