By Maria Famakinwa

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Despite the efforts made by the Ondo State Agency for the Control of AIDs (ODSACA) at encouraging residents to know their HIV/AIDs status, it seems many people did not heed the warning as it was recently revealed that 24,130 people are still living with the disease across the State.

The State Project Coordinator of ODSACA, Dr Dayo Adegbulugbe, who disclosed this during an interactive session with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health added that as at September 2021, 12,067 of the patients were on treatment out of the 24,130 people living with the scourge in the State.

However, stakeholders have attributed the increase in number of HIV/AIDs patients in the State to COVID-19 pandemic, saying it has distracted the government from giving the right attention to other prevailing diseases.

According to the Team Leader, Healthdrive Ondo State, Mr Orenolu Olumide,  the prevalence of HIV/AIDs in the State is due to reduced sensitisation and campaigns against the virus,  unlike what was obtainable  some years back. The Hope spoke with some Akure residents about their HIV/AIDs status.

A computer operator, Mr Ademola Ebenezer, in his response regarding his HIV status said that it had never crossed his mind to go for the test, adding that he had better things calling for his attention. When told that according to ODSACA, over 24,000 people were living with the disease, he  said: “ If it is true, I am not one of those infected because I am healthy and I don’t have any of the symptoms associated  with HIV. I am faithful to my wife and safety conscious. There is no need disturbing myself about knowing my HIV status” he said.

A civil servant, Mrs Lucy Akinduro, was surprised when told the number of people living with HIV/AIDs in the state. The woman who appealed to the state government to increase the level of awareness across the 18 Local Government areas of Ondo State said: “This is a serious case. Even COVID-19 that led to the shut down of the State was  not as bad,.

“Though I have done HIV test three times,  I will still go for it. There is an urgent need for more education and sensitization about the deadly disease as it was done in the past. The truth is that HIV still kill. Since there is no  cure for  HIV, unlike  COVID-19, people must get tested to know their status. This figure is scary. If in Ondo State alone, over 24,000 people are living with HIV/AIDs, what about places like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Ibadan where we have larger population?

I will advise government to make presentation of HIV test results  a prerequisite for civil servants to get salaries both at the State and Federal levels as was the case of COVID-19. This will compel many to go for the test and this is  the only way to curb the spread.”, she said.

In the submission of an artisan, Mr Omolade Orioye, he maintained that he did not see any reason to get tested for HIV because he was not sick. He asked: “Why are people just talking about HIV/AIDs that has gone for a very long time? It is only to create another fear in us. How many people have died of the disease of recent? Even if HIV has resurfaced, I can’t have it because I don’t have multiple sex partners.

When told that it was not only through sexual intercourse one could contact the disease , he said: “I am sure I don’t have HIV and if I do, I will not bother to go for the test because it is  safer not to know you have HIV. Knowing that one is HIV positive is the beginning of problem. That is just my opinion. Anyway, it is better the government creates more awareness for people to observe all the safety measures against the disease.”

A teacher and counselor, Mrs Oluchi Nkeena, also appealed to government and health practitioners to embark on sensitisation  through the mass media for people to know the do’s and don’ts  of HIV/AIDs.

The teacher who lamented that some children were found in the habit of sharing sharp objects or picking blades from anywhere to cut their finger nails called on parents and caregivers to educate their children on the dangers inherent in this bad habit. She also charged parents to be alive to their responsibilities by monitoring their children, adding that rape of minors is on the rise.

Her words: “I am happy with the revelation of the number of people living with HIV/AIDs in the State. This will make people to be more careful in whatever they do. I want to put it to you that the figure might be higher than that, because there are some rural dwellers living with the disease without knowing. I will advise the government to take the campaign outside the State capital, I mean to the villages. If need be, there should be HIV testing centre in each of the 18 Local Government of the State and let people know that the test is free.

This will help people with the disease to get tested and start treatment. ,” she said.

A nurse, who preferred not to be named, explained that the major reason why some refused to come for the test was stigmatization. She said: “We discovered that some married couples who were HIV positive hid it from their spouses and at the long run infected them. Many of the people who tested positive to the disease did not come voluntarily to be tested. They were tested when they came        to the hospital to complain of one sickness or the other.

“We counsel victims on the need to take their drugs religiously and let them know that they can still live their normal lives. But we discovered that some of the patients stopped coming for the treatment and continued to infect others. There was a case of a man who stopped his treatment and infected his wife. It was when the wife  became sick and came to the hospital that she got tested and discovered that she was positive.

We advised her to disclose her HIV status to her husband so that the husband could come for the test. It was after she told her husband that the husband opened up to her that he was the one who infected her with the disease.

“HIV/AIDs test are free likewise the treatment. We can only appeal to people to come for test. Some have HIV but they don’t know. It depends on how strong one’s immunity is. It will get to a stage that the disease will destroy the immunity because it progresses with time. So the earlier one goes for the test and start the treatment if the result is positive the better to curb the spread. The test and the treatment are free,” she warned.