Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Executive Secretary of Civil Society For HIV/ AIDS in Nigeria (CISHAN), Dr. Walter Ugwuocha on Friday bemoaned the testing rate of Nigerians to Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
He disclosed this at a North East zonal HIV Testing campaign in Gombe, declared open by the Commissioner for Health Dr. Ahmed Gana.
Ugwuocha stated the campaign is geared towards testing 10 million Nigerians, adding that Individuals can voluntarily upload their information for tracking of their activities.
According to him, there is an innovative approach that allows people test themselves, without going to the hospital and without assistance.
He said, “The self testing campaign is geared towards testing 10 million Nigerians. We understand Nigeria is a multi cultural country where people have fears in testing.Now technology and advancement has made it such that you can know your status without involving blood that is possible and that is the opportunity HIV self testing is providing and presenting.
“The test testing reliability and specificity of 99.7 percent. In countries like Ghana HIV self testing is done as confirmatory test, as well as Botswana and so on. The 0.3 per cent is because no diagnostic test kit has 100 per cent.
“Finding out those who are positive is the first landmark, and that is why it is key to find everybody living with HIV, because it is not written on the face and the only way to find them out is to test them, once we test them and find them we can put them on treatment.”Ugwuocha added that Gombe state has 24,000 people who are currently on HIV treatment noting that 90 percent are virally suppressed.
“They can’t transmit the virus, the remaining 23,000 we don’t know. That is why we urge the state to test the remaining persons, so that we can find the 23,000 and put them on treatment,” he said.
While appraising the progress of Nigeria fight from 1986 in curbing the scourge of HIV Ugwuocha said Nigeria has progressed well.
He said, “from 2000 to 2005 we had a lot of people die at home as a result of HIV, while in 2010 to 2012 when people carried with ambulance to the hospital to now when people walk to the hospital. So the issue of home base care has been eliminated.
“Nigeria has progressed in the provision of ARV, whereas in 2000 you needed to go to South Africa or Ghana to buy medication for someone that is HIV positive. 2005 to 2010 people needed to give them almost three pills to swallow, combination of pills. As we speak now, they just get a pill that it is how we have progressed. In terms of death rate we have experienced a decline between 2000 and 2005 210,008 death annually, by 2010 to 2015 it reduced to 11,3000 as we speak now it is only 53,000. If we do more we can collectively end AIDS related death. Our target is that by 2030 no body will die as a result of HIV.”
On her part, Emily Madina the State programme manager, Centre for Integrated Health Programmes she said there are 18 comprehensive sites that are providing this life long treatment.According to Madina, “we also have 6 feeder sites also which are primary health care centres that are providing services for people living with HIV and Aids, is available. Before 10,000 naira was charged for viral load testing but now is free of charge across the State though we have 1 PCR machine that does that in Federal teaching hospital and recently we received another bigger version of the PCR machine which will be able to support people living with HIV and AIDS and anyone on treatment, after 6 months samples will be collected and tested like i mentioned earlier our coverage for viral load is 90% and our suppression rate is 92% and is excellent.
“Looking at where we were coming from, when people will be at home and food is being thrown at them because they tested positive to when people are wheeled to the facility because they are very ill , such is not seen now. People are aware that HIV is not a dead sentence. If one tested positive drug is available and can live healthy life even with HIV.”
She added that, “One of the site am taking about is in Magidadi in shongom local government, we have six feeder sites within this town and we have 4 ART sites within Gombe so across the State, wherever one goes testing is happening, drug is available and is free.”
Also Speaking, the commissioner for Health, Dr. Ahmed Gana who declared open the sensitization lauded the effort of CISHAN and other stakeholders for the choice of Gombe.
“Let me first and foremost extend my appreciation on behalf of the government and the good people of Gombe State, to all the 5 thousand civil society organisations for selecting Gombe State for the venue for this flag off. The choice is not only because of our central location and the relative peace in the region or in the State but because of all the indicators that we had from previous speakers that Gombe has been able to achieve in terms of the quest for achieving epidemic control,” he stated.
