From Francis Nansak Lafia
The Nasarawa State Manager, Institute for Human Virology Nigeria, Dr Yakubu Sambo, has disclosed that Nasarawa state is at 2% HIV prevalent rate.
Dr Yakubu made the disclosure in Lafia on Wednesday.
He said IHVN in collaboration with the Nasarawa state government and NASACA is working hard towards achieving the USAIDS goals of 95-95-95, which, according to him, holds strongly that 95% are tested and those tested know their status and that those who knows their status are placed on treatment and the 95% placed on treatment are virally suppressed.
“This target is so because the prevalent rate now in Nasarawa state is 2%, so we are at the brink of achieving epidemic control in the state,” he said.
According to Dr Sambo, the major activities of the Institute for Human Virology Nigeria in Nasarawa state for this year has been centered more on creating sensitization, which had the involvement of some critical stakeholders in the state that included the traditional rulers.
He further explained that by the end of October this year, IHVN had placed about 53,878 patients on treatment and that out of the numbers ,about 84% of them have had the pre-test on viral load.
“One of the goals of HIV treatment is to see that the virus in the patient is finally suppressed, so out of the 84% that we have offered the viral load, 92% have achieved viral suppression.
“And just in the month of October, about 1466 patient were found after being diagnosed and have been placed on treatment,” he noted.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Pharmacist Ahmed Yahaya, revealed that Nasarawa state government targets to reduce the prevalent of HIV/AIDS through consistent partnership with donor agencies and others that will help fight the epidemic.
He said the administration of governor Abdullahi Sule takes seriously health care services delivery, hence the completion of the diagnostic and research center in Lafia, that was commissioned by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on recently.
