Olu Samuel, Lokoja

No fewer than 50,000 people are currently living with HIV/AIDs n Kogi state,the Acting Executive Secretary, Kogi State Agency for the Control of Aids, (KOSACA) Ibrahim Anate
disclosed has said.

Anate disclosed this in an interactive session with journalists during a road Walk in commemoration of the 2024 world AIDS Day in Lokoja on Monday.

The road Walk was organized by the Centre for integrated health programs (CIHP) in collaboration with Kogi State agency for the control of aids.

” There are about 50,000 people living with HIV presently out of which 36,066 are presently on treatment in Kogi State” he said.

According to him, “We are seriously fighting the scourge and we are giving the awareness to all the community and the hard to reach areas of the awareness of HIV in Kogi State”. He added.

He said that the State Government under Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is striving hard to see that people that are living with HIV AIDs are on treatment and those Pregnant Women that are HIV positive deliver babies that are negative.

” The current administration is also striving hard to ensure that People who are positive in Kogi State will turn to negative. The Government is seriously working hard by providing support to the Ministry of Health, and KOSACA to see that we take the campaign to the very hard to reach community and the community at large in Kogi State”.

He explained that with the current security challenges in some part of the State, some HIV patients finds it difficult to access treatment.

Anate, however, appealed to the Governor Ododo to give his ascent to the Anti Stigma HIV law which was recently passed by the Kogi State House of Assembly.

“When the Governor ascent to this law, people that are HIV positive can have the confidence to come out and declare their status. Many can’t do this because of the stigmatization in the society”he added.

Also speaking, the Kogi State Technical Lead, Centre for Integrated Health Programs, (CIHP) Inyama Lawrencia lamented on the transmission of HIV AIDs from Mother to Child in the State.

Her words ” We have been advocating for every mother to go for anti Natal services so that they can know their HIV status. With the record on ground about mother to child HIV transmission, CIHP have been working in the communities sensitizing the Women to ensure that they come out in masses to know their HIV status.

“One of the challenges is that due to the economic situation of the Country, Some Women who are supposed to go out to know their status don’t even go because of financial constraints”. He noted.