'3.2m Nigerians are HIV positive' - NACA
The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Professor John Idoko, announced that about 3.2 million Nigerians are living with the HIV virus but that about 40% of that number are not aware of their status.
He said this at the 2014 NACA/MDG medical outreach & HIV
counselling and testing in Kafanchan, Kaduna State yesterday.
Professor Idoko, who was represented by the acting Director
of Programmes Co-ordination Department at NACA, Dr. Priscilla Ibekwe, urged
Nigerians to go to hospital and know their HIV status.
Also speaking at the event, Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar
Ramalan Yero who was represented by his deputy, Nuhu Audu Bajoga, advised the
people of the state to take the issue of HIV/AIDS seriously and mentioned that
the 9.2% prevalence rate of HIV in Kaduna is the highest in North West Nigeria.
According to him, the state has received funding support
from the World Bank and other development partners like UNICEF, ICAP, DFID,
UNDP AIDS Relief, USAID and PATHS 1 and 2 among others to fight the scourge.