An NGO identified as The Heartland Alliance has raised the alarm over the scale of HIV infections in Nigeria, which is currently revealed to be tallying 100,000 new infections per day.
A resource person for the NGO, by name Mr Micheal Akanji, who spoke in Uyo at a media round table organised by the organisation and the AVAC 2020/2021 fellowship programme, while giving a review of challenges of HIV prevention in Nigeria, said that increased budget, improved access to prevention techniques and sustainability options would help to reduce infections.
Akanji expressed his sincere concerns over the continued high rating of Akwa Ibom in HIV Prevalence Rating in Nigeria.
He explained that the country’s mode of transmission has risen to 83% but while the prevalence among the general population stands at 1.4%, that of men who have sex with other men, MSM, has risen to 22.9%.
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He regretted that government’s continued funding policy and emphasis on treatment of infected persons rather than prevention has been counter productive, but expressed hope that with results of recent researches and studies emphasis would soon shift to more funding for prevention.
Akanji called on stakeholders to increase their advocacy on the area of prevention by discouraging cultural and medical practices which tend to discourage prevention of infection among the populace.
Speaking on new biomedical prevention methods, the anchor of the AVAC 2020/2021 fellowship programme, Ms Josephine Aseme said that limited prevention technology options, low coverages, increased incidences and poor funding as some of the reasons for lack of access to new prevention technologies.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK