The National Agency for the Control AIDS (NACA) has expressed concern that HIV/AIDS prevalence is on the increase among youth in recent time in most parts of the country.
Speaking in Ilorin on Thursday, the Head, Public Relations and Protocol of the agency, Mrs. Toyin Aderibigbe, said the disease had been spreading mostly in the rural communities of Nigeria.
The NACA spokesperson said that increasing number of people living in rural boundary areas get infected through contact with HIV positive people.
She said that people in the rural areas need help to reduce the spread among them, adding that the people lack knowledge and proper awareness on the disease, particularly the institutions to get help from, unlike city dwellers.
She also decried the lack of interest among people in listening to HIV/AIDS messages, saying that decline in awareness creation might have been responsible for the increase in the spread. She thus identified radio communication as most effective means of disseminating messages on HIV/AIDS to people in the rural communities.
According to Aderibigbe, control and spread of HIV/AIDS among patients is now better managed, adding that transmission from infected mother to child or partners is no longer predisposed if the patients take their drugs regularly.
She also solicited the collaboration and partnership of all stakeholders in activities aimed at reducing the prevalence rate, saying that every Nigerian is either infected or affected by the disease.
She said that toll free line of 6222 on Airtel and 9mobile networks are available in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin English languages to call the agency’s personnel to ask questions on HIV/AIDS and other related diseases like TB, malaria or STDs between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm Monday to Friday.
The Project Manager/Secretary of Kwara State AIDS control agency (KWASACA), Dr. Selim Alabi, said the agency planned to establish HIV/AIDS help centres on the campus of the University of Ilorin, to avail students the opportunity to get counselling, take test, and get protection materials against the disease.
Alabi identified inadequate funding as a major challenge in carrying out awareness campaign programmes, calling for improved multi-sectoral partnership and collaboration to reduce prevalence rate among the people.