Ebonyi HIV rate reduces by 0.8%

According to the Ebonyi official, the agency recorded the prevalence rate of 9.3 per cent in 2001, 6.3 per cent in 2003, 5.8 per cent in 2005, 4.3 per cent in 2008.

News Agency of Nigeria • December 2, 2021

HIV patient used to illustrate the story

The Ebonyi State Agency for the Control of AIDS (EBOSACA) says the agency recorded a 0.8 per cent reduction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) between 2018 and 2021.

Benson Nwali, the executive secretary of the agency, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abakaliki.

Mr Nwali stated that the reduction was following the level of awareness creation using the media and other multi-sectoral approaches.

The EBOSACA executive secretary further noted that the statistics came from the National AIDS Survey.

He noted that the prevalence rate dropped from 9.3 per cent in 1999 to 0.9 per cent in 2018.

According to the Ebonyi official, the agency recorded the prevalence rate of 9.3 per cent in 2001, 6.3 per cent in 2003, 5.8 per cent in 2005, 4.3 per cent in 2008, and 2.8 per cent in 2009. In 2010, it recorded 3.3 per cent.

He added that the other prevalence rate included 0.9 per cent in 2012 and 2.6 per cent in 2016. In 2018, it dropped to 0.8 per cent.

“The state government gave an enabling environment for implementing partners to achieve the reduction,” Mr Nwali explained.

He stressed that the antiretroviral drug was available and free for patients to boost their immune system.

(NAN)