The Katsina State Government has assured readiness to end the spread of HIV and AIDS across the state in the next six years, precisely by the end of 2030.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the State Agency for the Control of Aids (KATSACA), Abdullahi Abubakar, disclosed this on Monday at the International Women’s Day 2024 commemorated by the state branch of the Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (ASWHAN).
According to Abubakar, in the last quarter of 2023, precisely November, over 20,000 people on treatment were captured to have been living with HIV, however, with the adoption of a new strategy requiring every client to have his data, finger and thumbprint among other identities captured, would assist with intense treatment of the disease.
He said, the current number of HIV patients on treatment in the state now stands at 16, 706.
He, therefore, called on all husbands, to allow their wives access to antenatal care services in hospitals whenever they are pregnant, urging residents to know their HIV status for easy disaggregation of those living with the virus, and vice versa.
“The number of women taking HIV treatment is higher than that of their male counterparts.
“There is a great achievement in terms of transmission from mother to child HIV program in the state, through the implementation, we are seeing results in data day by day because, we filter those that come to pick drugs.
“There is also a national policy which is test and treat. Immediately if we discover that someone is positive, he should be linked to care and by so doing we will quickly harvest all the positives across the state”, he explained.
On her part, State Coordinator, the Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (ASWHAN), Hajiya Asiya Shehu, noted that the association joined the global community in commemorating the International Women’s Day 2024 to celebrate the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality.
“The association combines two different groups, the affected and infected. We want women living with the virus to be empowered by the government.
“We are calling on religious leaders to put more effort into their preaching in places of worship and enlighten people on marriage. We want them to specifically enlighten the public more, that a woman living with HIV and AIDS can marry a partner who does not have the virus because it is allowed, and they have the right to do so”, Shehu added.
In the meantime, the Chairman of People Living with HIV in Katsina State, Shehu Suleiman, called on members, to frequently access medication despite stigma and discrimination from the community members, urging the community and government to take eradicating HIV seriously.
An attendee at the event, Hajiya Rabi Marafa, advised people affected or infected with HIV to visit the hospital for treatment, appealing to the Katsina State Agency for the Control of Aids (KATSACA), to step up sensitisation campaign, especially in the rural areas, on the need for people to know their HIV status.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, yet the global campaign theme continues all year round, to encourage action and demonstrate commitment.
The 2024 campaign theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate progress” is a call to action for investment in women in all senses of belonging. It is also a call to accelerate, and value investment in women and girls living with HIV, to enable them to live decent lives.
During the occasion, the Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Agency for the Control of Aids (KATSACA), Dr. Bala Nuhu Kankia, was represented by the Director Admin and Supply of the agency, Halima Sani Dankane.
