Counseling And Testing - Key to HIV Prevention. 22/11/10

Following the increased rate of HIV scourge in the country, Christy Ajibade writes on the need for all Nigerians to know their HIV status.

AllAfrica

Recently, the federal government disclosed that 86 per cent of Nigerians are ignorant of their HIV status.This was disclosed at an international symposium to brainstorm on new strategies to combat the scourge. According to the participants, this could spell doom for the country if the practice of ignorance on HIV testing and counseling continues.

A medical expert said that it is rather unfortunate that despite sensitization and awareness by government, stakeholders and non governmental organisations on the need for every Nigerian to be health conscious especially in knowing their HIV status, there are still millions of people who don't really know what Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) is all about.

Though HIV testing and counseling has practically been brought to the door steps of the citizens, many Nigerians still prefer to live in denial, by refusing to yield themselves to be tested thereby giving rise to the scourge and making it difficult for government to combat or reduce the scourge.

HIV counseling and testing is the process by which an individual, through free will submits for testing and counseling on the prevention , treatment and support for those who are positive, while those who are negative are also enlightened on how to stay safe, says the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Professor John Idoko.

He said research has shown that people survive the virus better when treated early and this can only be made possible if people make themselves available for testing.

According to him, early treatment is efficacious and only a few know their status but there is a long time survival for those that are HIV positive. "If people do not know their status , their health may be threatened in this era of available, accessible and affordable care and treatment".

Idoko said that $280million was needed to counsel and test 20 million Nigerians by the year 2012, while the country will need to upscale the present HCT centres from 1,050 sites to3,870 sites to cater for the needs of about 150 million Nigerians, adding that prevention of infection remains the most effective way to winning the battle against the scourge of HIV.

Mr. Bright Ekweremadu ,the Managing Director of the Society for Family Health (SFH), said the organisation has not relented in its campaign and awareness on the scourge but that it has been in phases.

" The first phase, which we are talking about is the phase of awareness creation and we have gone beyond that. Over 90 percent of Nigerians know about HIV as a disease. The next phase was educating people on what the disease is all about and how to protect themselves and it came in intensively with the media.

"Now we are in the third phase which is really getting down to work and part of it is getting people to come and know their status and that is why we scaled up HIV testing and counseling using Family Health International. There are still a lot to be done but for those who have been tested, they now know their status and those who are negative are doing everything they can to keep their situation, those positive are also doing everything to live by taking ARV, if they have to or by living positively."

Speaking further, Ekweremadu said the fight against HIV is not supposed to be a fight by one individual, adding, " we are taking it to the Churches, Mosques and urging religious leaders to do their own bit in educating members of their various groups".

Omorinde Paul, Director in charge of Global Funds for HIV/AIDS programme for the Society for Family Health, said counseling and testing is very important because in HIV programme , it is the entry point.

His words: "you need to know your status if you are positive and the other form of services required to be given to such a person, for instance, they will need to do a CD count to see if it's required for the person who tested positive to be placed on Anti Retroviral Therapy (ARV) or any other forms of services.

Mrs Hauwa Abbas , Founder, Silver Lining Initiative, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which is focused on cartering for the orphans and vulnerable children and HIV projects, based in Abuja, said HIV counseling is the only gateway to prevent this deadly disease called HIV because, according to her, " if you don't go for testing and counseling, how will you know your status? But it's so painful that a lot of people are monchalant towards free screening at no cost and it gives me a lot of concern because thousands of people are living with the virus without knowing. Sometimes they attribute it to witchcraft in this era. It's time for everyone to know their status. Another thing is that most people present themselves to the hospital when it has become full blown AIDS and at that stage, it will be difficult to save such a person."

Abbas, who said she's been collaborating with the group called Gede Foundation, also an NGO,on HIV projects, disclosed that they've done four VCTs in Lugbe, Kubwa Dutse, and Gishiri all in the suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

According to her, they discovered through VCT that a lot of people in these communities do not really know what HIV is all about and how it can be contacted and it's not only through sexual activities, yet, they don't know that they can contact it through razor blade, and needles and we basically gave them information to stay safe.

She said, "When we did the testing in Kubwa at the NYSC Orientation Camp, we discovered that when you are educated and exposed, it means something because when we conducted the Voluntary and Counseling Test in Kubwa, there was no one who tested positive and that maybe because only people that were negative came forward and it may also be because they are educated and know how to stay safe compared to some communities where they don't know anything about HIV and when they are tested, we usually have a percentage of people positive.

Abbas pleaded that everyone should know their status and always go for medical checkups because there are a lot of diseases out there.