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HIV test: one step forward, two steps backward Continued from Page 35 seller “I knew my status in Ilorin two years ago but I have not done it, again because I do not have enough money. I have heard about HIV but I have never seen anyone with HIV.” Abidemi Ajala, Student “I do not know my status because I have never gone for the test and I am not prepared to do it. An average person like me must have engaged in sex once or twice before. I know that the best way to protect is through abstinence or use of condoms. I use condoms. I deal with decent girls and I will never ask them about their status. Even if I want to go for the test but the fact is that I don’t know how or where it is being done. Youths need more orientation about HIV testing,so we can appreciate the essence of testing.”
ple about discrimination. When people hear that you have HIV, nobody will talk to you again. That is why people are afraid to go for testing. Again, people see people with HIV as promiscuous.” Olamilekan Ogunseye, student “I don’t know my status because I have been busy. I am not afraid because I have what it takes. I don’t share sharp objects. I have my barbing saloon kits. I have only one partner and I am abstaining. I have no business with HIV.” Kareem Amzat, affidavit racketeer: “I am too busy to start thinking of HIV testing Helen Oke, credit card vendor “I have not done it before, please don’t disturb me. I have so many other things I should be worried about. I don’t know my status because I have not done it before. Iam not sick. I
“People do not come in voluntarily to screen for HIV. People don’t have the culture of voluntary testing. That is why we should do more about advocacy and reorientation of the elite. Less than 5 per cent of people come in voluntarily for HIV test except when it is time for blood donation or accident cases. In this
The social stigma put on HIV is making people afraid to come voluntarily to check
MSD introduces new HIV drug, Atripla BY CHIOMA OBINNA
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Michael Odion, Book seller “I have done the test before but I was sick then. I did not just go there for the test, it was the doctor who asked me to do it as part of my treatment. I was not afraid then, I did the test in the hospital free of charge. It was negative. Government should educate peo-
can think of that, when I fall sick.” Mr. Attan Chioma, Businessman: “I don’t know if I am negative or positive because I have not checked my status. I cannot give you reasons why I have not checked.”
‘Less than 5% of Nigerians adopt voluntary HIV testing’
S part of the efforts to meet the Anti-Retroviral, ARV, drugs requirements of Nigerians living with HIV, MSD, one of the world’s healthcare leaders, weekend launched into the Nigerian market its innovative antiretroviral, ARV, drug - Atripla - a prescription medication used to treat HIV-1 infection in adults and children of at least 12 years of age. A combination of three HIV medicines Efavirenz, Emtricitabine and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate - Atripla is currently the only one pill daily
HIV regimen for HIV management and it is proven to lower HIV load to undetectable levels while helping to raise T-cell (CD4+) count to help control HIV through three years of a clinical study in patients new to the therapy. Currently, less than one third of 1.5 million Nigerians requiring ARVs are able to access treatment currently while only 20 percent of the population has access to quality drug. MSD recently opened office in Nigeria to address health challenges by ensuring availability of quality and affordable drugs in the country and neighbouring West African countries.
Disclosing the development on World AIDS Day 2012, the Commercial Director, MSD West Africa, Mr. Kingsley said bringing Atripla to Nigeria is consistent with MSD’s commitment to register the innovative treatment for HIV broadly. Atripla is recommended in Nigeria guidelines for the treatment of HIV. “Our commitment is to get the right medicines to the right people in the right place and we will achieve this by focusing on bringing medications and vaccines to Nigeria to address unmet medical needs.
Continued on Page 38
Jonathan seeks sustained financial drive against HIV/AIDS BY SOLA OGUNDIPE
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HE Federal government has called for sustained financial drive towards enabling Nigeria meets the goals of HIV treatment and support efforts in the country even as HIV funding in Nigeria increased from N2.5 billion in 2002 to more than N5.0 billion in 2011. President Goodluck Jonathan who disclosed this in Abuja at the special World AIDS Day session on resourcing the National HIV response to zero-AIDS-related deaths, address to the nation said government will continue to support mainstreaming of HIV programmes in the public sector and work towards providing adequate budgetary allocations to the health sector. The President said the Federal government recently signed a Partnership Framework with the United States Government to increase commitment to HIV financing from the current 25 percent to 50 percent in 2015, and that there was need to reflect on the collective efforts to mobilise resources for the response in Nigeria in order to achieve the objectives and targets of the 2001 Abuja Declaration, the GoN / USG Partnership Framework and the United Nations Political Dec-
laration on HIV/AIDS in 2011. ”According to him: “Over a million people living with HIV are requiring treatment many of whom do not know their status as a result of stigmatisation. Most of those currently on treatment are being supported by donor funds. In the light of evidence that treatment does not only save lives but is a potent weapon for prevention,
it is therefore important for Government to invest more on HIV treatment.” The President observed that an estimated N700 billion is required to fund the National Strategic Plan (2010 – 2015). “In addition to the efforts of the Federal Government, HIV control Agencies have been established in more than 34 states and now draw down from budgetary
allocations to enhance HIV activities in the states. ”It is the hope of government that through the decentralisation of HIV services and integration with other related diseases at the community level, 80 percent of all people living with HIV in Nigeria will have access to lifesaving treatment and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS by 2015.”
•Mr.Adeyemi Elijah, Lagos State Coordinator, Laboratory Services part of the world, you are talking about reorientation and advocacy, The social stigma put on HIV is making people afraid to come voluntarily to check. That is why we are trying to orientate educationally and encourage people to come in to check their health status. And during that check we check things like HIV, hepatitis, typhoid etc. If you pin people down on just HIV and hepatitis, they will run away. Another problem is lack of counseling. When you do not counsel people, they run away from treatment. But when you counsel, let them know they can be there for as long as possible. Show them people that are living and surviving with the virus.”
Nigeria has made progress — Ujah “Progress is being made by the global community through research efforts towards an effective AIDS Vaccine and Nigeria through NACA has commenced the process of planning for AIDS vaccine trials. With the current momentum and the commitment
•Prof Innocent Ujah, NIMR DG.
•L-R: From right; the Commercial Director, MSD West Africa, Mr. Kingsley, Moderator, Mr. Dapo Oyewole and Head Clinical of Services Department of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, IHVN, at the University of Maryland, Prof. Ernest Ekong during the official presention of MSD Anti-Retroviral, ARV, drug - Atripla at a programme to mark this year’s World AIDS Day in Lagos
of the Federal Government and international partners, sufficient awareness is being created about HIV/AIDS prevention, control and treatment with prevention of mother-to-child transmission as a strategic option to reduce HIV/ AIDS prevalence, as well as the anti-stigma bill currently before the National Assembly. It can be safely said that the awareness campaign is succeeding as the country has graduated from a state of hopelessness and helplessness with regard to HIV/ AIDS prevention and control to a situation where Nigerians living with HIV now have hope with great expectation and many of them live productive life and can reproduce with minimal fear of transmission of mother-to-child of the virus.” .