Akwa Ibom Data on HIV/AIDS Unreliable – Commissioner
Nigeria December 7, 2015 Dianabasi Effiong
Dr. Ukpong
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom Government has said that one of the major challenges in fighting HIV/AIDS in the state was poor and unreliable data on the disease. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong, stated this on Tuesday in Uyo at a forum to mark the 2015 World AIDS Day celebration.
Ukpong said that the State Government had decided to conduct its own population based study using the best international survey method to get accurate statistics on HIV/AIDS.
Ukpong, who was represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Godwin Ebuk, said that the Akwa Ibom AIDS indicator survey would involve house to house sample collection.
He said that other challenges of fighting the pandemic include reluctance of infected persons to come out for treatment, wrongful traditional and religious practices and belief system.
“HIV/AIDS are still ascribed to witches and wizard,” Ukpong said.
Reflecting on the 2015 World AIDS Day theme, “Getting to zero, ending AIDS by 2030,” Ukpong urged all citizens including clergymen and traditional rulers to be part of the solution.
The Commissioner said that the state government was committed to getting to zero by empowering the people everywhere to access the services they need.
He said that the state Ministry of Health, in collaboration with international partners, had also created 411 HIV/AIDS care service delivery points within the state.
“This is where people can walk in and have a free HIV test done for them. By getting to zero, about two million people in this state, who are unaware of their HIV status, must get their test done. By getting to zero, about 200, 000 people in the state living with HIV must have access to life-saving medicine,” Ukpong said.
In his address, the State Project Manager, Akwa Ibom Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (AK-SACA), Dr Nkereuwem Etuk, noted that the efforts of all partners in HIV/AID had paid off.
Etuk said that the transmission from mother to child of HIV/AIDS had reduced drastically.
He disclosed that the state had witnessed a drastic reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence from 10.9 per cent in 2010 to 6.5 per cent in 2012 national reproductive and health survey
The state had recorded 12.7 per cent in 1999; 10.7 per cent in 2001; 7.2 per cent in 2003; 8.0 per cent in 2005 and 9.7 per cent in 2008.
Highlights of the celebration included road show and goodwill messages from implementing and development partners.
Dianabasi Effiong
