By Asmau Ahmad
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Kaduna State Government have counseled and conducted tests for 159,306 youths on HIV in Jema’a Local Government Area (LGA) between 2016
and 2018.
The Coordinator of the Local Action Committee on AIDS in the council, Mrs Binta Yem disclosed this to newsmen in Kafanchan on Monday.
She said more than 20,776 of the youth are now aware of their HIV status. Yem said that 40,967 pregnant and nursing mothers also benefited from the exercise.
She said the facilitators reached out to the youth under the Adolescent and Young Persons (AYPs) project.
She said that AYP is a UNICEF-supported programme, designed to scale-up the combination of HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for AYPs in the state.
During one of the sessions, Awal Usman, an 11-year-old student from Government Junior Secondary School, Kafanchan, described the AYPs’ initiative as very an encouraging programme.
Usman, who was tested along with other students under the programme, expressed joy when he tested negative to HIV.
Mohammed Bashir, 20, who also tested negative, commended UNICEF and the state government for making HIV services accessible in every nook and cranny of the local government area under the AYPs programme.
“I have always wanted to know my HIV status but I found it difficult to go to the hospital. I am so happy that the state government and UNICEF had decided to bring the service to my doorstep, and I got tested in just a few minutes.
“Now that I had tested negative, I will do all that I can to remain negative,” Bashir said.
Some of the people living with HIV and AIDS in the area expressed satisfaction with the quality of service rendered by UNICEF and the state government.
One of them, Ana Danladi, 23, said that the quality of the HIV test at the Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital was impressive.
“I came to the facility for drugs and counseling and was attended to within 15 minutes. I am very satisfied with the quality of service. I urge the state government and its partner to provide entertainment facilities in the HIV-friendly centres across the state for people living with HIV/AIDS.”
Also, some pregnant and nursing mothers commended the quality of services at the Family Health Unit of the Primary Healthcare Centre in Kafanchan. They said it would help to prevent Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) cases.
A pregnant mother who tested HIV positive said that she got most of the services that she needed as soon as she arrived at the facility. “I usually come here for antenatal care; accessing services like blood pressure check, weight, HIV drugs, and counseling,” she said.
The woman added that the centres usually educated her on good nutritional practice, sanitation, and hygiene.
She further said the centre used to give her the necessary household practices that would ensure that her unborn child would lead a healthy life on delivery.
A nursing mother, Mrs Magdalene Namiji who tested negative to the virus, said that the information and the quality services at the facility would help all the participants to live a better life.
