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WORLD AIDS DAY, 2024: A HUGE SUCCESS.
The Center for Integrated Health Programs ( CIHP) Kogi State Office in collaboration with the Kogi State Agency for the Control of Aids (KOSACA) celebrated the 2024 World Aids Day, culminating in a huge success.
The 2024 World Aids Day, themed “Take the Rights Path”, had a focus on sustaining the HIV response and stopping HIV among children, cannot be less described as one of the most outstanding outing in recent years.
The program which kicked off from the Ministry of Health Headquarters, took the celebrants through Government House, to Zenith Bank junction and to Ganaja junction and capped it up with a talk show and a HIV/AIDS sensitization session, alongside other health related activities.
Representatives of Aids Health Care Foundation (AHF), Ministry of Health, CIHP, KOSACA, NEPWHAN, Young Pharmacists Group, CISHAN as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civil Society Organizations and NGOs, Khalihat Bello, all gave their good will messages in support of this year’s celebration.
In an interview, the State Technical Lead of CIHP, Lawrencia Inyama said one of the channels of HIV transmission from mother to child was during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding, hence the need for expectant mothers to go for antenatal checks before delivery, to know their HIV statuses.
She added that CIHP goes beyond health facilities but works in communities by sensitizing women through stakeholders to know their statuses, lamenting that the national economic quagmire stands as a challenge, hindering the women,noting however that CIHP was doing a lot by providing incentives and access to know their statuses, to eventually avoid mother to child transmission of HIV.
Speaking further, Lawrencia Inyama said CIHP has tested over 30,000 women, ensuring that those with positive status are placed on treatment. Inyama stressed that her office has recorded about 95% viral suppression which is the Hallmark of HIV treatment.
On plans for year 2025, Inyama disclosed that her office was restrategising to reach some hard-to-reach communities, to ensure a more robust activities through Community Based Organizations and Teams, with minds to using religious bodies and traditional rulers.
Selected students from some secondary schools in Lokoja participated in a symposium and sensitization session in tone with the 2024 theme.
Highlights of the program was a free Tuberculosis test provided by some health providers that added glamour to the program.
