Categories: City Updates

Abuja Municipal Council Leads in HIV/AIDS Cases

The Abuja Municipal Area Council(AMAC) has the highest figure of persons living with HIV in the metropolis, an official of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT’s) Agency For Control of HIV/AIDS (FACA) said.

Dr Uche Okoro said that AMAC recorded 120,000 cases of HIV as at December 2016. It was followed by Bwari Area Council.

He said that no fewer than three million residents underwent HIV/AIDS tests in 2016, with only three per cent positive cases.

According to him, free testing and treatment as a method of combating the disease has reduced the prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the territory.

He also said that the method had proven cost effective.

He explained that Nigeria embraced the approach in 2015 following the United Nations resolution at the 2014 high level General Assembly meeting on ending AIDS.

Okoro said FACA started the pilot programme of the test-and-treat method in Abuja Municipal and Bwari councils  in 2015, and that it has been expanded to the remaining four  councils in 2017.

The official stated that the test-and-treat method has also served as preventive measure which is better and cheaper.

“There are cases we have here where one of the couple was infected with the virus and the other one was not. The infected one was taking the treatment and also still having sexual intercourse with his partner and did not infect her.

“And if  such couple had a baby; the child was also not infected because within six months of treatment, the viral load has dropped therefore such affected person cannot transmit it to others,” he said.

He maintained that treatment of a positive person is for life in spite of the fact that the preventive measure adopted by government is aimed at reducing the HIV prevalence.

He added that FACA would continue to work with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and other development partners in Nigeria to eradicate the disease.

0
Dipo

Dipo Kehinde is an accomplished Nigerian journalist, artist, and designer with over 34 years experience. More info on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dipo-kehinde-8aa98926

Recent Posts

Boy, 15, Axes Mother to Death after She Confiscated His Tablet to Make Him Do His Homework

Editor/ A 15-year-old boy in Russia has reportedly been taken into custody after police say…

2 hours ago

Beaten and Humbled: Bolt Driver Apologises to Lawmaker who Assaulted Him over Simple Delivery

Pat Stevens/ Stephen Abuwatseya, a Bolt driver, has publicly apologised to a politician who allegedly…

3 hours ago

NNPC, SPDC Joint Venture Donates US$1 Million to Support Borno Flood Victims

Malik Yahya/ The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC JV)—operator of the NNPC…

7 hours ago

Federal Reserve Chair, Powell, Says He’ll Refuse to Step Down if Trump Asks

Femi Ashekun/ Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, has declared that he wouldn’t resign if President-elect…

18 hours ago

FG Responds to Malaysia’s Plan to Phase Out CNG, Clarifies its Position on Adoption

Segun Atanda/ The Nigerian government has responded to Malaysia's recent announcement to phase out compressed…

24 hours ago

Lagos Police Arrest Dog Owner After Fatal Attack on Security Guard in Lekki

Matilda Omonaiye/ The police in Lagos have arrested Salisu Mustapha, the owner of three dogs…

1 day ago