By Stanley Onyekwere
As Abuja residents joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2022 World AIDS Day theme: “Equalize”, with Call to Action slogan, the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS) has reeled out some modest achievements of its interventions through the FCT AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control program (FASCP).
In particular, the modest achievements include FCT’s attainment of 100% access to HIV testing services (HTS) among adults of people living with HIV (PLHIV) to know their status, along with 14 states; and 70% of the indicator next to Kogi state with 83% as reported at the 2021 NASCP annual report review meeting.
Disclosing this, during an occasion to mark the Day, in Abuja, HHHSS Secretary, Dr. Abubakar Tafida noted that the success can be attributed to innovations and strategies such as targeted testing, index testing and SURGE programs introduced into HIV testing in recent time in FCT.
This, Tafida said has resulted in the number of Children (0-14 years) Living with HIV (CLHIV) who know their status has progressively increased in the last five years.
He added that these achievements were in line with United Nations Programme on AIDS Global targets for the elimination of HIV by 2030 which is to ensure that 95% of estimated HIV population know their status, 95% of all People diagnosed with HIV infection to received sustained anti-retroviral therapy, 95% of all people receiving ant-iretroviral therapy attain viral load suppression which one of the key indicators of assessing the performance of HIV/AIDS control program.
He said the key implemented activities towards achieving the UNAIDS Global targets were as follows: number of Service Delivery Sites/Points(SDPs) were jointly implemented along with support from International Development Partners (IDP) such as Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN)-Lead IP, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) amongst others.
“FCT and seven other states namely: Akwa-Ibom, Benue, Rivers, Lagos, Enugu, Imo, and Delta have positively increased the HIV case findings in Nigeria.
” However, worthy of note Akwa-Ibom has contributed 18% and while FCT with 4.5% towards this success. In FCT this success may be attributed to ongoing SURGE programs”, the Secretary said.
Speaking earlier, the Director Public Health Department, Dr. Saddiq Abdulrahman, said FCT Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) coverage among adults was 100% while 70% coverage was recorded in children.
He however, explained that FASCP has intensified its innovative activities to sustain the gains so far in order to maintain A zero transmission of HIV infection in FCT.
According to him, “Overall, the viral load testing coverage in FCT has attained 94% next to Jigawa and Kebbi states with 95% each while FCT has achieved 95% overall suppression rate in line with the UNAIDS global targets of ( 95%, 95%, 95%).This achievement is 3% higher above 2020 suppression rate.
World AIDS Day, celebrated every December 1, to raise awareness of and mourn the approximately 40 million people who have lost their lives to HIV.
