UNICEF, NOA partners media to end HIV/AIDS in Nasarawa state

From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Kaduna field office and Kaduna State National Orientation Agency in collaboration with media practitioners in Nasarawa state embarked on plan to create awareness on the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Adolescents Young Persons (AYP) on HIV/Aids in Nasarawa State through a one day media workshop organized in Nasarawa State yesterday.
In his welcome address at the workshop, the Director NOA Kaduna State Alhaji Galadima Zubairu who was represented by his deputy Alhaji Hamza Audu said that the objective of the PMTCT and AYP was to create wornness as well as develop a good media plan for effective dissemination of prevention of mother to child transmission and adolescent young persons of HIV/Adds in Nasarawa state so as to bring an end to spread.
Contributing at the event, UNICEF Kaduna field office media health officer, Rabiu Musa asserted that the focus of the programme is to tackle the issues of PMTCT and AYP in Nasarawa state as well as describing the extension of the programme by UNICEF and Kaduna state NOA to Nasarawa state as commendable.
Rabiu further urged media practitioners in Nasarawa state to always carry out investigating reports on HIV/Aids especially on PMTCT and AYP in other to draw the attention of government toward addressing the spread of HIV/Aids.
Also in his addressing the executive Director Nasarawa state Aids control Agency NASACA Dr. Ruth Adabe who was represented by the Team Head, state Aids/HIV and STIs programme of the Nasarawa state ministry of health Dr. Peter Attah who lamented that youths/ adolescents are most risk at contracting HIV/Aids and other sexual transmitted diseases STDs in the state and urged media organizations to expedite effort through creating awareness aim at tackling PMTCT and AYP in thes tate.
He however highlighted factors that increase HIV. Vulnerability to include: early child marriage among girls as young as 15 years old, low or lack of knowledge and appropriate reproductive sex education, few AYP test for HIV regularly, fear of stigma by AYP among others.