NACA lauds HIV/AIDS survey in Anambra

THE ongoing Nigeria Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) to ascertain the accurate statistic of HIV/AIDS in Anambra State has been described as successful.

The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Sani Aliyu, gave the assessment during the monitoring survey in Awka on Friday.

Aliyu represented by Dr Priscilia Ibekwe an official of the agency said that the agency decided to monitor the NAIIS survey to enable them to have firsthand knowledge of what was happening in the field.

The DG said the Survey was expected to cover 180,000 respondents nationwide, and 8,775 households in the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.

Aliyu encouraged people working in the survey to see it as a national assignment that would write their names in gold upon its completion.

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He noted that most of the minor gaps identified would be corrected in subsequent states where the survey would take place.

The South East Zonal Coordinator of NAIIS, Dr Ejike Nwene, while briefing the DG’s Monitoring Team, said the work in Anambra has been interesting with a high level of success.

He said that they have recorded a 98 per cent interview acceptance rate in Anambra.

He further said that minor challenge encountered in the state was that most Enumerated Areas (EA) were being displaced by ecological issues like flooding and students being on vacation.

Nwene said that there were 230 personnel made up of laboratory attendants, interviewers, trackers and community guides, working in 100 Enumerated Areas in Anambra.

One of the team leaders in Amawbia, Ms Ifeoma Onyedika, appreciated the Agency for the opportunity given to them to work, but complained of lack of certain incentives.