No
fewer than 1,000 persons benefited from a free medical check, including
HIV and AIDS screening, conducted by the National Agency for the Control
of AIDS (NACA) in Jos on Tuesday.
During the exercise, conducted by Dr.
Priscilla Ibekwe, Deputy Director at NACA, the beneficiaries’ blood
pressure was checked while some were screened for diabetes and other
ailments.
Ibekwe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise was funded by “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
She said said it became imperative to
meet the goal of ensuring that at least 80 per cent of people with the
HIV virus had access to treatment.
She said that the exercise also provided
an opportunity for people to ascertain their HIV status, and expressed
satisfaction at the massive response.
“Apart from helping them, treating people with the scourge will also help to prevent the spread of the virus,” she said.
Ibekwe lamented that Nigeria had one-third of total number of babies born with HIV worldwide.
She, however, said the situation could
be prevented if women knew their status and were placed on drugs to
prevent the unborn child from being infected.
She said that 70 per cent of HIV cases in the country were recorded in 12 states with Plateau listed among them.
“IIt is in view of this that NACA
decided to bring free HIV testing and free medical outreach to Plateau;
we want to help the people to know more about HIV and to know their
status,” she said.
She lamented that more people were dying
from high blood pressure and diabetics, and explained that NACA was
tackling that by conducting free blood pressure, diabetics and medical
consultation, alongside HIV screening.
The director explained that persons
found to be HIV positive would be referred to the nearest treatment
centre, while those with high blood pressure and diabetes would be
referred to hospitals.
Dr. Francis Magaji, the Executive Director, Plateau Aids Control Agency, commended NACA for the programme.
He explained that such free medical
outreaches would encourage more people to be aware of their HIV status
and seek quick treatment.
Source: The Punch
Source: The Punch
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