88 % of enumerated households now captured under NAIIS in Oyo

National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said that at least 88 per cent of families to be enumerated by the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) in Oyo State have been captured and its results will ensure better health interventions in Nigeria.

NACA’s NAIIS South-West zonal coordinator, Mr Raheem Mohammed, during an assessment of the survey by NACA in the state on Tuesday said that reception to the survey to be completed in a week’s time in the state was very high.

Mr Mohammed, who urged for continuous support for the successful completion of the survey, said that nobody should be shortchanged in their participation in NAIIS since a high number of refusals to participate may deny the state support on healthcare services intervention that may come after NAIIS.

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Mohammed declared “When interventions come, it might not come as one-sided HIV intervention. It might come as general healthcare services. That is why we encourage our people to participate more to reduce a high rate of refusal in the zone.”

Dr Yinka Falola-Anoemuah, the leader of the NACA’s Monitoring team said the survey is not just about determining HIV and hepatitis prevalence, but also the related risky behaviours that are important to ending AIDS by 2030.

Falola-Anoemuah said although Nigeria has the second highest global burden of HIV, the population-based survey will put an end to the number of discrepancies in Nigeria’s HIV data and determine further responses to HIV in the country.

The NACA DG’s representative urged increased ownership of HIV response at the state government level to ensure Nigeria attains the UNAID’s 90:90: 90 target aimed at ending AIDS come 2030.

Southwest zonal coordinator for NAIIS, Dr Obafemi Babalola said challenges encountered during the exercise had included long distances between enumeration areas and testing laboratory and hoodlums’ disruption of enumeration.

Babalola said as, at Tuesday, 90 enumerated areas have been covered out of the 107 enumerated in the state, adding that the achievement on data collection by the survey may turn out the best in South Western Nigeria.

Earlier, Senior Special Adviser on Health to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Dr Ibrahim Olaifa said that although Oyo State is not a high-risk HIV state, there may be an increase in HIV cases in the state due to emerging family poverty, increasing infidelity and number of nightclubs and drinking joints.

According to Dr Olaifa, these factors could reverse the gains made on HIV control in the past years if left unchecked.