OYSACA targets 15,000 for free HIV screening

AT least 15, 000 people are been targeted for free HIV screening and testing by the Oyo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OYSACA) in commemoration of the 2018 World AIDS Day.

The target areas for the screening include church, mosque and selected hotspots across the country.

Additionally, a good number of the youths are to be lured for the testing through a youth festival

The Chairperson, OYSACA, Mrs Florence Ajimobi made the disclosures during a press conference to herald the weeklong activities lined up to commemorate the day. The event is to run from Friday, November 23 through Saturday, December 1, 2018.

According to the Wife of the Oyo State Governor, the state annually joins the rest of the world to commemorate the World AIDS day to “show love and give hope to people living with HIV while addressing issues surrounding stigmatisation and discrimination.”

Represented by the Project manager, Dr Kayode Ogunkunle at the conference, Mrs Ajimobi said the commemoration is also “an occasion for sensitizing the people on the importance of HIV counselling and testing for early detection and treatment, access to healthcare, adherence to drugs and other important issues, with the projection of bringing an end to HIV as a public health threat in the world.”

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This year’s commemoration with the theme “Know your status”, Mrs Ajimobi maintained that the focus of the efforts is a way of adopting a prevention approach to tackling the menace by testing people and immediately linking them to treatment centres and ensure they commence immediate treatment.

She said: “We are targeting at least 15,000 people for testing and all the people who test positive will be linked to treatment centres across Oyo state so that they can commence treatment immediately. This time, our approach is ‘test and treat’.

“The major target of the testing is youth who are the future of the country. If not tamed among the youths early, the virus can wipe off the youth and the future of any country.

“Our challenge still remains funding. But we commend the Oyo state government for the massive support to the agency, especially in the last two years. Today, Oyo state ranks second after Lagos in terms of commitment and prompt release of funds to tackle the surge of HIV.

“The current prevalence rate in the state stands at 1.9 per cent but with the ongoing National AIDS Indicator Survey (NAIS) will help the state plan and earmark enough fund to tackle the scourge.”

The details of the seven-day activities as explained by the Project manager include, Jumat Service at Central Mosque, Oja Oba, Church thanksgiving service at Bishop Oyebode Memorial Anglican Church, BOMAC, Agugu, Ibadan, Youth festival at Iseyin, visit by teams of OYSACA and Ministry of Women Affairs to five different orphanages in the state where educational and toiletries will be donated.

Other activities include the grand finale of Secondary school youths debates and presentation of prizes and awards to outstanding students and schools, Youth festival in Oyo town and Grand finale rally slated for Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

Popular musicians include fuji artiste Abass Akande, aka Obesere, is billed to perform at the grand finale.

Mr Ogunkunle, however, emphasised that free HIV testing centres would be created at all the event venues while an additional team would visit hotspots in the areas to carry out the test on people.

The press conference was attended by officials of the OYSACA and representatives of the Civil Society on HIV/AIDs in Nigeria (CISHAN), Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPHWAN) and APIN Public Health Initiatives among others.