The APIN Public Health Initiatives in Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, has rolled out the drums to sensitize the residents of the state on the need for them to screen for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus popularly called HIV in a bid to ascertain their status and to avert the risk of having full blown AIDS.
The awareness creation, billed to end on Friday, features distribution of condoms, counselling on abstinence, pre and post test advisories, engaging in save sex and talks against stigmatization.
Dr Folake Adurogbola, Technical Advisor and Senior Technical Lead for APIN in Oyo State said that the sensitization was aimed at further erasing the myths surrounding the issue of HIV AIDS.
In line with the theme of the 2021 World AIDS Day titled, ‘End the inequality, end AIDS and end pandemic,’ Adurogbola said, “We want people to know their status and we want to link those who are positive with treatment and then continue to monitor the management.
“There are so many myths and misconceptions about HIV. Some people believe that HIV has to do with promiscuity while many hold the notion that one can contract it by being bewitched.
“We are here to create awareness that one cannot have HIV through witchcraft, and not only by being promiscuous. There are other ways of contracting HIV. We are preaching the gospel of being protective by using the condom whenever we want to have sex and being faithful to our partners.
“Awareness about HIV AIDS is now better. If I am to do it on scale of 1 to 10, we can say that in the metropolis, we would be on about 8, but in the rural areas, there is still a lot to do in terms of awareness. Reason why I say this is because in Ibadan and other cities in Oyo State, the awareness is high up. We no longer have the very sick ones. We have people coming in just to know their status on their own unlike in the past when people come in at the late stage of AIDS when there is little or nothing one can do.
“We now do test and treat. In the rural areas, we have a number of people in denial, and that is what is killing most people in the rural areas; they won’t believe it is HIV. It is difficult to bring it to their level. You know, it is not everybody that knows what HIV is. That is why we conduct pre-test counselling. If they test positive, we now do post test counselling.
“Stigmatization is reducing fast in Oyo State because there is anti stigma law in place. Anybody that stigmatizes an HIV positive person knows the consequences so people are being careful. My advice is that people should not wait until they fall sick. By the time they start falling sick, the virus would have done a lot of damage to their bodies. People should walk into government hospitals, including some private hospitals for a test.”
Mary Oladele, an official of the Ministry of Health in Oyo State who spoke at the programme held at the Open Square of the state Housing Corporation, Bodija, said, “We should all work together to put an end to inequality in all ramifications in HIV and AIDS services.
“I want to wish you happy World AIDS Day. With the theme, ‘End the inequality, end AIDS and end pandemic,’ I hope that we would all work together to put an end to new infections of HIV especially from mothers to babies in our communities and the country at large so that we can achieve elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV AIDS.
“From this, we would move to total elimination of HIV from mother to child. Among the general population, we would all work together to put an end to new infections of HIV. And, the type of treatment that people in Beere would get for HIV testing service is the same type that people in Bodija would get.”
The Prevention and Community Lead, Oyo Region, APIN Public Health Initiatives, Bola Thompson, who stated that the World AIDS Day Celebration was marked on December 1 of every year to create awareness about HIV AIDS, stressed the need for everyone to know their status.
In his goodwill message, Dr Kehinde Olatunde, APIN Public Health Initiative, Laboratory Services, said, “Let all of us put efforts to work to reach out to the unreached and get to those who need care and treatment as fast as possible.
“Before this time next year, at least, 95per cent of those who are HIV infected would have been enrolled with the exact number having access to care and treatment. That is the target, so we have a lot to do across the local government councils in Oyo State.”
Dr Oluwatomiini Ademuyiwa ofAPIN, Clinical Unit, warning against the danger of discrimination against People Living With HIV AIDS, said that “Inequality plays a huge role in spreading HIV AIDS. We are encouraging everybody to know our status. We should speak up for victims of gender based violence.”
Funmilayo Olaosebikan, Counselling Psychologist, Prevention, Mother to Child Transmission Unit, University College Hospital, Ibadan, said, “We cannot have epidemic control if people are not virally treated.
“Let me re-emphasize the importance of being our neighbors keepers. Prevention is always better so don’t let it happen. It is not only babies and children alone that are being raped, old people also get raped.”
Adewumi Kingson from St. Mary’s Catholic General Hospital, Eleta, Ibadan, said, “We need to create awareness in order to educate the people to go for test and then do counselling for those who are positive following which we do viral load suppression.”
Commending the initiative of APIN in Oyo State, the Youth Focal Person for APIN in Oyo State, Kareem Shamshudeen Adebola, said, “It is necessary for young people out there to know the importance of being tested to keep them aware of their status and get quick response if positive before it gets to a bad stage.”
On the level of awareness of HIV AIDS in the state, he said, “I would give kudos to APIN as one of our partners. Lately, we have seen a lot of young people having good transitioning. In the past, the issue of transitioning was a big one but now, we have a lot of young people that are bold to come out to confirm their status and say that I am not defined by HIV AIDS.
“APIN goes into rural areas on motorbikes in Oyo State to advocate on HIV AIDS and the need to get tested and to take absolute control of their health.”
