By Tosin Adesile
The Director General of National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), Dr. Sanni Aliyu has disclosed that 17,000 persons, including, 800 pregnant women, are currently on Anti-Retroviral treatment in Ogun State, hinting that, the Ongoing aids Indicator survey will lasts for six months revealed this and would cut across the 36 States of the federation, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The DG, has lauded efforts of the Ogun State government on efficient health care delivery, particular, its commitment to the ongoing Nigeria Aids Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) in the state.
He revealed that, all the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State had been covered, noting that, 112 Enumerated Areas (EAs), which represent about 90 percent of the total EAs were also covered.
While welcoming the team, the commissioner for health, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, appreciated Federal government’s concern for the wellbeing of the people, saying the State government would not relent in its efforts at providing adequate health care for its citizenry.
Dr. Aliyu who gave the commendation while briefing the press in Abeokuta, said that the exercise has yielded positive results, as there was massive turnout of citizens for the programme.
“I want to say a big thank you, for helping the Federal government to achieve the aim of defining the HIV epidemic more clearly in the country”, he remarked.
Stressing the importance of the survey, Aliyu said, it would give Federal government the opportunity to know the numbers of people living with the virus and also provide adequate information on how to improve on the quality of HIV treatment and other services in the country.
He added that, it was important for citizens to know their HIV status, as this would help to minimize its spread, and assist Federal government in providing adequate drugs, care and treatment for those infected.