81,481 persons live with HIV in Ondo – NACA

Sani Aliu, the director general of National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that total estimates of 81,481 people are living with HIV in Ondo State as at December 2017.

Aliyu said this when he paid a visit to Oba Victor Kiladejo, the Osemawe of Ondo as part of efforts to seek the monarch’s support to mobilise his subjects for NACA survey in the area.

The survey is tagged: Nigeria Aids Indicator and Impact Survey.

He said only 10,000 persons from the figure are currently on treatment across the State.

Speaking through Josephine Kalu, the director of resource mobilization in the agency, the NACA boss added 2,733 pregnant women are living with the disease, of which 638 are on treatment.

He said the agency would be conducting a survey in some designated centers in the state to gather accurate and up to date statistics as regard the disease.

According to him, the survey would help the agency step up its drive in ending the epidemic in the country by year 2030 as directed by the United Nations.

“Data is very important for proper planning. The survey we are having in Ondo State is to reliably gather data that will help to reduce the current status of HIV in the state.

“When you have accurate and reliable data, then map out plans to end this disease.”

Kiladejo commended efforts of the agency and urged it to do more on counselling and to focus more in the vulnerable areas.

The monarch, who expressed worry with the high number of persons living with HIV, asked for more funds to fight it.

The NACA team had earlier paid a visit to the state Commissioner for Health, Wahab Adegbenro.

Adegbenro thanked the agency for its continued support, saying the survey would no doubt address problems of public health.

The commissioner promised that the state government would give its support for the success of the survey.

YOMI AYELESO, Akure