One in 100 Kaduna people has AIDS, says KADSACA

Isa Baka, Kaduna State Aids Control Agency (KADSACA) executive secretary, said a survey had revealed that one out of 100 people has AIDS.

Mr Baka disclosed this on Thursday.

“At the national level, the prevalence of the virus (AIDS) was at 1.4 (four people out of 100 test positive), while that of Kaduna is confirmed to be 1.1, was in the determination of the state government and KADSACA’s efforts to ensure the minimal prevalence of the virus,” he said.

The KADSACA boss also mentioned that as part of efforts to continue reducing the prevalence of AIDS in Kaduna, the government initiated programmes across the 23 LGAs.

One of them, the ‘Adolescent and Youths Living With HIV and AIDS’ (a UNICEF-anchored programme), is run in at least 18 LGAs and 24 sites.

“There is also a partner agency, the Centre for Integrated Disease Health Project in Kaduna State, which we are collaborating with; their programme spans the 23 LGAs, having 56 sites all across,” Mr Baka explained. “There is a programme in both rural and urban places; it is misunderstood that the rural people have more prevalence of AIDS, the difference is just level of awareness; but in every rural area, there is at least one general hospital and one primary health care centre.”

The KADSACA boss added, “They provide testing, counselling, treatment and monitoring services; one good thing about the programme is that the Kaduna Government is one of the first in the country to make provision for the services free for every citizen.”

He called on people to abstain from indiscriminate sex and always use contraceptives.

“Where people have unprotected sex, upon realisation, they should immediately wash themselves up and go to a hospital for preventive treatment within 24 hours,” Mr Baka advised.

(NAN)