By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna

As part of activities to mark World AIDS Day 2015, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, embarked on a  4-day free HIV Counselling and Testing,  HCT, as well as tests for diabetes, hypertension and malaria and deworming of children in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State.

HIV COUNSELLING & TESTING : Some beneficiaries of the 4-day free HIV Counselling and Testing services carried out the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, to mark the 2015 World AIDS Day in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State, recently.

Over 5,000 residents  benefitted from the 4-day free medical care programme which ran  from 14th to 17th December, 2015 at strategic locations within the Local Government Area.

At the flag-off which took place at Olaleye Market, Shomolu, the Principal Programme Officer, NACA, Mrs. Ronke Adeoye noted that the HCT outreach campaign was geared towards making residents to know their HIV status and help achieve the 2030 goal of zero new infection, zero discrimination against people living with HIV as well as zero AIDS related death.

Adeoye said the programme organised by NACA and the Millennium Development Goals unit in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, was to get people tested and know their HIV status. “We found out that people will not ordinarily go to the clinic for testing, so we thought it wise to bring the testing to their doorstep; and as a result of this we have sensitised the people and the community to come out for testing.

“This outreach is very important because as a nation we want to get to zero by 2030,which means we want to have zero new infection, zero discrimination against people living with HIV as well as zero AIDS-related deaths.”

Adeoye expressed optimism that the 2030 target is possible if people come out and know their status through counseling and testing. “This is why we have brought  HCT to their doorstep in the community to help them in the quest to get counseled and tested; it is our belief that if we do this, we will actually get to our target by 2030.”

Counseling and testing

She noted that abstinence from risky behaviour remained an important preventive strategy against HIV/AIDS while using protection like condoms and that pregnant women who are HIV positive can give birth to HIV negative children.

The outreach is going nationwide at the Federal Capital Territory including 12 states that are recognized as HIV endemic states.

“We do not want a situation where people will be down with the sickness before they go to the hospital; we want to forestall this scenario by bringing the service to their door step and this is why we are using market spaces and bus stops where people can easily access HCT services”, Adeoye noted.

On his part, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said HIV burden has gone down nationally but stressed that the State government was still working assiduously to improve access to HCT activities.

“As a responsible government it is our duty to ensure that we prevent our people from contacting HIV/AIDS and that is why we have started this programme with our National body; NACA so that everybody will understand what HIV/AIDS is all about, how it is spread and how we can prevent ourselves from contacting it”.