Continuing The HIV & AIDS Conversation In Nigeria -Governments' Latest Effort, And Ways To Contain The Spread

Written By: Ojekale Oluwapelumi

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, while  AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It damages your immune system, making it easier for you to get sick. It’s a virus that breaks down certain cells in your immune system (your body’s defense against diseases that helps you stay healthy). When HIV damages your immune system, it’s easier to get really sick and even die from infections that your body could normally fight off.  

HIV is the virus that’s passed from person to person. Over time, HIV destroys an important kind of the cell in your immune system (called CD4 cells or T cells) that helps protect you from infections. When you don’t have enough of these CD4 cells, your body can’t fight off infections the way it normally can.

AIDS is the disease caused by the damage that HIV does to your immune system. You have AIDS when you get dangerous infections or have a super low number of CD4 cells. AIDS is the most serious stage of HIV, and it leads to death over time.Without treatment, it usually takes about 10 years for someone with HIV to develop AIDS

HIV/AIDS IN NIGERIA

In Nigeria in 2018, 1 900 000 people were living with HIV. HIV incidence per 1000 uninfected—the number of new HIV infections among the uninfected population over one year—among all people of all ages was 0.65. HIV prevalence—the percentage of people living with HIV—among adults (15–49 years) was 1.5%.

130 000 people were newly infected with HIV.

53 000 people died from an AIDS-related illness.

There has been progress in the number of AIDS-related deaths since 2010, with a 26% decrease, from 72 000 deaths to 53 000 deaths. The number of new HIV infections has risen, however, from 120 000 to 130 000 in the same period.

It took Nigeria less than 2 months to contain the deadly Ebola virus that was introduced by a Liberian man on 20 July 2014. But HIV /AIDS has been on an increasing spread in Nigeria for over a decade. Only 28.86% of women and men 15–24 years old correctly identified ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. This shows that the level of awareness about HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is low.

Nigeria: Govt Launches 'U=U' Campaign Against HIV/Aids

The federal government has launched the Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U) campaign to promote the benefit of treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS and encourage them to access treatment.

Launching the campaign in commemoration of the 2019 World AIDS Day (WAD) with theme, 'Communities Make the Difference' on behalf of government, through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in conjunction with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Senate President Ahmed Lawan said Nigeria was launching an important and strategic campaign to help the country achieve zero new HIV infections and reduce stigma for Nigerians living with HIV.

He said Nigeria is reaffirming its commitment through all the relevant communities to make the difference in the National HIV response to attain the 90-90-90 goal by the end of 2020.

The Director-General, NACA, Dr Aliyu Gambo said, the theme of this year's WAD acknowledged the essential role communities play in the global HIV response.

 EXTRA: WAYS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS

It’s easier for HIV to get into your body if you have sores, cuts, or openings in your skin that semen (cum), vaginal fluids, or blood may get into. So don’t have unprotected sex if you have a Sexually transmitted Diseaseor other infections. Having other STDs makes you more likely to get HIV, so it’s a good idea to get tested for STDs regularly.

If you find out that you have HIV, try to stay calm. People living with HIV can have normal, healthy relationships and sex lives. But it’s important to take precautions to help your partner(s) stay HIV-free.

There are a few ways that you can avoid getting infected by other people:

Always use condoms when you have vaginal and anal sex.

Don’t share needles for shooting drugs, piercings, or tattoos.

Get tested and treated for other besides HIV regularly. Having other STDs makes it easier for you to spread HIV to others.

Spread the word ,create awareness this gives people necessary information about the disease , how to prevent it and how live a normal life even if infected.