The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that its 2019 National AIDS Survey shows that Bayelsa State has an HIV prevalence of 1.9 per cent, meaning that about 30,000 people in the state are HIV positive.
The Team Lead of HIV Treatment and Care, Dolapo Ogundehin, stated this during a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Education, Dr Pabara Igwele, in his office in Yenagoa.
Explaining further, the USAID team lead said that they have only been able to identify 12,000 while 18,000 are still unaccounted for, and probably do not know they are HIV positive.
To this end, she solicited the government’s support in providing more rapid test kits to reach the rest of the population, saying they want to reach all categories of residents as they have been paying more attention to pregnant women so far.
Ms Ogundehin said the USAID team was on the ground to oversee the work carried out by FHI 360, ensure records are well kept and that the HIV patients under their care are properly taken care of.
However, the state government has said it will step up efforts to increase HIV testing in the state in order to reduce the spread and preserve lives.
The Commissioner for Health noted that the government has made considerable progress in the testing and counselling of pregnant women in the state with the support of FHI 360.
According to him, no government can solely fund health care that is why the contributions of implementing partners are necessary, adding that the state is grateful for their input so far.
He commended FHI 360 for their efforts to contain the spread of HIV in the state and provide care for those living with the virus, saying they have shown a passionate commitment to this cause over the years.
Dr Igwele said Bayelsa State has a difficult terrain and navigating it to reach those in the rural areas is cost-intensive, therefore he urged USAID to increase funding for FHI 360 to ensure they implement their work effectively.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Sawyer Ebiye, thanked the team for their contributions and encouraged them to expand their scope to cover more areas in the state.
Also speaking, the Director of Public Health, Dr Jones Stow thanked them for their financial support in setting up the state Emergency Operation Centre and urged them to pay more attention to HIV testing and counselling in households across the state.
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