As the world marks this year’s AIDS Day, the Ogun health ministry says it is stepping up awareness among Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to curb mother-to-child transmission of the pandemic.
According to Dr Tomi Coker, the commissioner, the awareness is being handled through the Ogun State Action Committee of AIDS (OGSACA).
“We want to expand HIV/AIDS tests to pregnant women that are not accessing antenatal care in government facilities,”
Coker said on Wednesday in Abeokuta.
He spoke during a news conference to commemorate the 2022 World AIDS Day.
This year’s ceremony has the theme “Equalize: Breaking in to Equalize To End AIDS; Equal Access To Prevention; Equal Access To Treatment”.
Coker, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Kehinde Oladehinde, said it had been realized that many women were running away from registering for antenatal care.
He regretted that there were still prevalence of Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV in Ogun.
“What it means is that initial efforts were not achieving desired results.
“It was through several efforts at testing more people by adopting various channels that we were able to identify new 5,000 cases this year.
“We are doing what we call targeted testing where we test people we can refer to as high risk.
“We are also doing community testing; we are also doing one-stop shop, where people, who cannot just walk into any health care facilities because of stigmatization and discrimination, get tested.
“So, we are providing an environment where they can just walk in and do the test. This is where we are able to get like 5,000 out of them this year.
“It is a great effort and we must appreciate the government for that effort.
“If we were not doing this, all the 5,000 people will just be roaming about and be spreading the disease.
“If we rest on our oars and limit yourself to only the pregnant women that come to our PHC, we shall be missing a lot of them.
“That was why we embarked on mapping exercise to TBAs identification so that, moving forward, we can reach the pregnant women.
“Once they test positive of HIV, they will be linked with health centers where they can access prevention treatment,” she explained.
On the current HIV/AIDS situation in Ogun, Coker said that 45,965 persons were estimated to be living with the disease.
The commissioner regretted that “over the last few years, progress towards HIV goals has stalled, resources have shrunk and numerous lives are at risk as a result.
“Disparity and inequity of access to health services and HIV services and disregard for human right are among the failures that allowed HIV to become and remain a global health crisis.”
According to Coker, before the ART surge in 2019, Ogun State was able to place a total of 18,431 PLHIV on drugs.
“But as of November 2022, we have successfully placed over 28,639 on ARVs out of the 45,965 that are estimated to be living with the virus.
“That leaves a treatment gap of about 17, 326. Our status stands at 63:97:94 on Vision 95:95:95 goal.”
On ways to make testing and prevention accessible, Coker called for “improved knowledge, attitudes and behavioral activities across the state through various enlightenment programs.
He also suggested an urgent need to intensify awareness on campuses, televisions and radio stations, with more bill boards and hand bills across the state.
