BY BLESSING OBAKPOLOR, AUCHIPOLY

Deeply concerned about the alarming incidence of the deadly virus, HIV/AIDS among the people in the society, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) Auchipoly Chapter has organized a campaign to educate female students at the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State on the need to protect themselves against contracting the virus.

Speaking during the sensitization campaign, one of the spokesperson for organization, Miss Joy Omoregie disclosed that the spread of HIV/AIDS is becoming rampant and many people, especially females, still don’t know the possible measures to put in place as to protect themselves.

Omoriege noted that lack of proper education and enlightenment programmes on the need to abstain or protect themselves with condom, in our tertiary institutions, seem to make many fall prey to the deadly virus, amongst other diseases contacted during
unprotected sex.

In her part, another member of the organization, Doris Iweala, admonished that female students need to orientate their boyfriends on the need to protect themselves from having the virus during sex.

Iweala, however, attributed stigma, silence, discrimination, as well as lack of confidentiality, as factors that have undermined the prevention, care and treatment efforts, thus, increasing the impact of the epidemic on the female folks.

Speaking further, she also pointed lack of affordable pharmaceutical and feasible supply structures and health systems as other factors militating against the eradication of the scourge HIV/AIDS in the country. She however, called on stakeholders in the health sector to make drugs available for patients at lower prices.