APIN screens 1.5 million persons for HIV/AIDS

More than 1.5 million people have benefitted from a free HIV/AIDS testing in four local government areas of Lagos.

The free testing and sensitisation campaign which was organised by the Aids Prevention Initiative of Nigeria, a non-profit organisation, in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Primary Healthcare Board and other stakeholders in the health sector, took place in Alimosho, Ikeja, Mushin and Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Areas.

The four-day campaign, which was supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, also brought together opinion leaders, market men and women and youth groups in the local government areas to discuss the best ways to combat the virus.

Coordinator of APIN in Lagos, Mrs. Remi Olaitan, said of the 32 local government areas notorious for having the highest rate of the disease in Nigeria, eight were in Lagos.

She said to arrest this alarming situation APIN, in conjunction with other relevant stakeholders, had decided to take the fight to four of the eight local governments in Lagos first before visiting the others.

She said, “What we are doing now is going around these four local government areas to sensitise people and make sure that we test virtually everybody living in those areas. This is the only way we can actually find those affected by the virus, link them to care and treatment and reduce the transmission level.

“We have engaged with the agencies in Lagos and the response has been tremendous. We have been working in Lagos for 12 years but we are scaling up our activities in recent times because we want to reach more people with the message. We are testing over 1.5 million people in these four local government areas. We are hoping to reach about 90 per cent of those infected with this campaign.

“Gone are the days when HIV/AIDS used to be a death sentence. But now you can live into old age with the virus as long as you take your medications and always go for check up. Once this is done, the rate of transmission also reduces.”

PUNCH.