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Tag: HIV

  • SAD! Many feared dead after taking HIV herbal medicine in Gombe

    SAD! Many feared dead after taking HIV herbal medicine in Gombe

    The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) in Gombe, on Thursday, announced that four of its members died after allegedly using HIV herbal treatment.

    NEPWHAN’s programme officer, Muhammad Ibrahim, stated this in Gombe at an event commemorating the 2023 World AIDS Day.

    Mr Ibrahim said the spate of the use of herbal therapy for HIV treatment in the state had been a source of concern due to the increased patronage of such unorthodox medications by its members.

    He stressed the need for the government and stakeholders to regulate and check the circulation of alternative HIV treatment in Gombe.

    According to Mr Ibrahim, many HIV-positive patients who are desperately searching for a cure are opting for herbal remedies, adding that many have died as a result of wrong medication.

    “A lot of our members are subscribing and using herbal medicine based on the information being spread by the hawkers of the traditional medicine who are everywhere in Gombe. These people are openly advertising and claiming that they have discovered the treatment of HIV as a result a lot of our people are buying the medicine.

    “There is no scientific proof that the herbal treatments are real, so we want the government to look into this and do the needful. Anybody that claims to have found treatment for HIV should be identified and invited by the government to verify his claims and certify it before public sales and use,” said NEPWHAN’s programme officer.

    Habu Dahiru, Gombe health commissioner, said there was no scientific proof that herbs could cure the disease. Mr Dahiru advised NEPWHAN members and all those living with HIV to desist from using herbal medicines to treat the disease, adding that such concoctions damage vital organs.

    He said Gombe achieved 95 per cent of suspected cases tested and placed on medication, adding that 95 per cent of those placed on medication have achieved viral suppression.

  • How women are coping with HIV/AIDS, PMTCT services in Nigeria

    How women are coping with HIV/AIDS, PMTCT services in Nigeria

    By Franca Ofili, NAN

    Self-stigma has been identified as one of the major issues responsible for the low uptake of HIV/AIDS and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) services in Nigeria.

    Over time, persons especially women that tested positive to HIV/AIDS have consistently lived in self-denial orchestrated by stigma and other factors beyond their control but caused by the society.

    Mrs Anthonia Nzeli, a 35 years old banker, was diagnosed to be Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive during her first pregnancy and was placed on antiretroviral drugs.

    Being a young lady, Nzeli could not imagine how she could cope with taking the drugs for the rest of her life and she subsequently stopped taking the medication.

    She said her decision was based on the advice of her pastor who discouraged her and asked her to pray as God would solve every problem.

    According to her, she was using the local herbs believing it will solve her problem.

    Nzeli said after she gave birth, the baby became sick on his three months and was taken to the hospital only to be diagnosed as HIV positive.

    “That day, I felt as if the world has come to an end until a nurse came to my rescue, educated me on the necessary things to do to live a better life with the virus.”

    According to her, the nurse arranged an appointment for her with a doctor and was advised on how to live with her baby.

    “The doctor advised me to come with my husband to carryout test on him but he refused to come.

    “Since then, I have been on PMTCT treatment and my baby is also on drugs and was asked to come for test with my child in order to monitor us.

    She said that lack of proper information on HIV has affected many families and urged the government to ensure that people are properly educated on the virus and how to manage it.

    Nzeli said with the proper information gotten, she enrolled in PMTCT treatment to be able to have her second child HIV negative.

    She said after five months the husband agreed to have the test and was positive, adding that the family has been on drug since ten.

    “I believe with proper information on PMTCT many pregnant women would have HIV negative babies.”

    In spite of having been tested for HIV during pregnancy, most women have limited knowledge and awareness of the virus and of PMTCT in particular.

    There are several potential barriers to the provision of PMTCT including: HIV testing without adequate informed consent and counselling.

    Others are gaps in HIV and Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (MTCT) knowledge among women, perceived stigma at the household and community level with HIV-related cultural beliefs.

    Among women who had been tested for HIV, awareness and knowledge of HIV and PMTCT remained low.

    There would be need for mobile phone communication for improving uptake of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected pregnant women.

    Socio-cultural and operational challenges, including HIV testing without informed consent, present significant barriers to the scale-up of PMTCT services for women in the country.

    Also strengthening local capacity for effective counselling and testing in the antenatal setting is paramount.

    HIV is a principal contributor to the high burden of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the country.

    Some medical experts have given solution on what the country can do to address the issue of low PMTCT in the country.

    Dr Ijaodola Olugbenga, Deputy Director, PMTCT, Lead for the National Prevention of Mother-To- Child Transmission of HIV and AIDS (PMTCT) had advocated for state governments to procure HIV commodities to boost PMTCT services.

    According to Olugbenga, there was an urgent need for a clear community strategy to reach the unreached, as well as to mobilise community influencers, especially religious leaders, who would help to educate pregnant women on PMTCT need.

    He said that there was need to understand why about 60 per cent of pregnant women delivered at home and then respond to their needs with a clear strategy.

    Olugbenga also called on the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on PMTCT.

    He said there was an urgent need for a clear community strategy to reach the excluded, recognize the importance of working with all actors, private providers, traditional birth attendants (TBAs), community leaders and networks of people living with HIV.

    Olugbenga called for the creation and empowerment of the Local Government Zone (LGA) team to process HIV-related data, sample registration, commodities and other services.

    He said there was a need to organize all facilities (public and private) and other service delivery points for HIV services for pregnant women using a “Hub and Spoke” model.

    The hub and spoke model refers to a distribution method in which a centralised “hub” exists. Everything either originates in the hub or is sent to the hub for distribution to consumers.

    From the hub, goods travel outward to smaller locations owned by the company, called spokes, for further processing and distribution.

    “We need to strengthen the communication and use of data based on the hub and spoke approach and with the commitment of the LGA team.

    “There is a need to develop a realistic state-specific approach to improve the development of Ante Natal Clinic (ANC), ANC testing and PMTCT coverage.

    “Approval and implementation of the state-level framework for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis,” said Olugbenga.

    He decried the low uptake of antenatal care services, low uptake of early infant diagnosis services, and urged women to know their HIV status before they get pregnant to help them plan accordingly.

    Mr Geoffrey Njoku, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Communications Specialist in Nigeria, also urged the media to focus more on the reportage of PMTCT of HIV and AIDS to ensure a society free of HIV children.

    Njoku said that the media needed to provide an update on the current status of HIV and AIDS in the country, added that the media needed to bring back HIV and AIDS to the front burner by educating pregnant women on the importance of PMTCT.

    Dr Atana Ewa, Associate Professor of Paediatric Respiratory/Infectious Disease, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, said that the management of children living with HIV needed more focus attention and enlightenment.

    Ewa stressed the need for increased screening among women of child bearing age and pregnant women to check the spread of the virus.

    She said: “We need to ensure reduction of prenatal transmission, give antiretroviral drugs to pregnant women and during breastfeeding.”

    She noted that for treatment modalities, acute bacterial infections must be addressed with the treatment of opportunistic infections.

    She advised all pregnant women to go for counselling and be tested for HIV during antenatal, adding that HIV and AIDS remains a major cause of infant and childhood mortality and morbidity in Africa.

    “Ideally, the healthcare provider should counsel the parents and look for HIV in a child presented to a health facility Provider Initiated Testing and Counselling (PITC), as identifying HIV in children requires a high index of suspicion.

    “Usually, the symptoms and signs of HIV infection in childhood are similar to those of other diseases seen in the tropics; but they may be more severe and occur more frequently.

    “The common conditions associated with HIV are frequently infectious in nature,’’ she said.

    Ewa said that early features usually non-specific are fever, diarrhoea, failure to thrive, cough and generalised lymphadenopathy.

    Others, she said were later the child would present with features indicative of severe immune suppression, signs of opportunistic infections and recurrent and more severe forms of common illnesses.

    She advised that every pregnant woman should be tested for HIV to have proper data and start PMTCT.

    “We need to ensure reduction of prenatal transmission, give antiretroviral drugs to pregnant women and during breastfeeding.”

    According to World Health Organisation guidelines, all infants who test positive for HIV should be immediately initiated on treatment.

    It said that the treatment should be linked to the mother’s course of ARV drugs and would vary according to the infant feeding method.

    “Breastfeeding, the infant should receive once-daily nevirapine from birth for six weeks. While for replacement feeding, the infant should receive once-daily nevirapine (or twice-daily zidovudine) from birth for four to six weeks,’’ it said.

    Mr Shola Ogundipe, Health Editor, Vanguard, said that the media needed to bring fresh perspectives into related HIV and AIDS issues in the country.

    He said that the media would positively impact on the process of communicating government’s policy agenda and legislation on HIV and AIDS, with specific focus on PMTCT and EMTCT.

    He said that over the years, Journalists Alliance for PMTCT in Nigeria (JAPIN) had pursued the PMTCT and EMTCT agenda in Nigeria.

    He said this is in accordance with its role to ensure that mother-to-child transmission of HIV received the desired attention in relation to national HIV and AIDS issues.

    “JAPIN has successfully utilised various media platforms and documented strategies to address the challenges of EMTCT of HIV by giving wider coverage of the issues in Nigeria.

    “JAPIN has also bridged the communication gap between government, healthcare providers, mothers and civil society groups, as far as EMTCT in Nigeria is concerned,’’ he said.

    Ogundipe added that JAPIN had provided improved knowledge on the scope and acceptability of infant feeding practices among women in Nigeria, specifically for HIV positive pregnant women.

  • U.S. FDA approves Cabenuva cabotegravir and rilpivirine for treatment of HIV

    U.S. FDA approves Cabenuva cabotegravir and rilpivirine for treatment of HIV

    The United State’s (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cabenuva cabotegravir and rilpivirine for every two months dosing for the treatment of HIV-1.

    This was disclosed by the U.S. HIV specialist pharmaceutical company ViiV Healthcare on Wednesday

    The treatment is for HIV in virologically suppressed adults on a stable regimen, with no history of treatment failure, and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

    ViiV Healthcare is majority-owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc, with Pfizer and Shionogi Limited as shareholders.

    Cabenuva is the first and only complete long-acting HIV treatment regimen and was first approved by the U.S. FDA in January 2021 as a once-monthly treatment for HIV-1 in virologic ally suppressed adults.

    The U.S. FDA approval allows Cabenuva to be dosed monthly or every two months.

    Long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine are approved for use every two months in Canada under the name Cabenuva and in the EU as Vocabria and Rekambys.

  • Buhari inaugurates N62bn HIV Trust Fund

    Buhari inaugurates N62bn HIV Trust Fund

    President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated a N62 billion HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria (HTFN) to help Nigeria end AIDS as a public health threat and place more people living with HIV on treatment annually.

    Inaugurating the HTFN in Abuja on Tuesday, the president pledged that his administration would continue to prioritize health interventions to address killer diseases and public health emergencies.

    He said: ”At the last United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, I made a call for a renewed global action to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.

    ”Ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We have continued to make good our commitment of placing more people living with HIV on treatment annually using national resources.

    ”However, strong domestic resource mobilization with an enduring partnership and shared responsibility is required to sustain the response to HIV and other emerging public health emergencies.’’

    Buhari noted that Nigeria’s purposeful partnership with the private sector in the response to COVID 19 pandemic had provided a readily available financing solution to leverage on to sustain the HIV response.

    He commended the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS for their efforts in establishing the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria to secure a generation of babies free of HIV.

    He also expressed delight with the attendance in person of notable global key players in HIV response and from the private sector at the event and the pledges made.

    ”Going forward, I hope The HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria will galvanize more of the private sector and other partners to surpass the target of Sixty-Two Billion Naira in the next five years,” he added.

    In his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha announced that since 2005 about 6.2 billion dollars had been spent on HIV response in Nigeria.

    ”About 80 per cent of the funds were contributed by external donors, mainly the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    “The Private Sector contributed 0.1 per cent to 2 per cent of total funds with the rest of funds provided by the Nigerian government.”

    While acknowledging NACA’s efforts to promote resource mobilisation to complement existing external support, Mustapha said the Federal Government had sustained the treatment and financing of 50,000 PLHIV annually.

    He said the launch of the HTFN would guarantee funding from the private sector-led resources for HIV interventions especially for the elimination of the Mother-to-Child transmission of the virus.

    ”Since 2005, about 6.2 billion dollars has been spent on HIV response in Nigeria about 80 per cent of the funds were contributed by external donors mainly the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    “The Private Sector contributed 0.1 per cent to 2 per cent of total funds with the rest of funds provided by the Nigerian government,” he said.

    Chief Launcher and Chairman, CEO of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said the mission of the private sector led fund proposed by NACA alongside the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA) is to ensure mobilisation of resources towards eradication of AIDS in Nigeria, starting with the Prevention of Mother-to-Child transmission of the virus.

    ”I am reminded that we have 2 million of our compatriots living with HIV/AIDS and it is our collective responsibility to bring this number down to zero,” he said.

    Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, appealed to individuals and corporate organisations in the country to donate generously toward the Fund, currently chaired by Dr Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc.

    ”We would like the private sector to work in partnership with the Federal Government on a 50-50 basis which we believe will help us eliminate Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria,” he said.

    Also speaking, the Director-General of NACA. Dr Gambo Aliyu thanked the president for his commitment and support for the HIV response in the country, noting that as a direct result of his intervention, NACA now procures HIV commodities at manufacturers’ rate, as a result of which more Nigerians living with HIV had been placed on treatment from domestic resources.

    He said within the last three years, the agency had identified and placed on treatment an additional 900,000 persons living with HIV, bringing the total number of Nigerians on HIV treatment to 1.7 million.

    ”This unprecedented feat puts Nigeria on a fast-track lane to control HIV spread by 2023.

    ”However, despite these achievements, our national coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission is less than 50 per cent, leading to about 22,000 cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV every year in the country,” he said.

    While justifying the need for the Fund, the Director-General said providing life-long treatment to all PLHIV even after successfully stopping new HIV infections would require a domestically sustainable financing mechanism.

  • HIV: Moderna launches clinical trial for breakthrough vaccine

    HIV: Moderna launches clinical trial for breakthrough vaccine

    American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, Moderna has announced launching early-stage clinical trials of a vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Moderna made this known via a statement published on it’s official website on Thursday.

    According to the statement, the first doses of the HIV vaccine that uses mRNA technology were administered at George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.

    Moderna teamed up with ​​International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to develop the shot, which uses the same technology as Moderna’s successful COVID-19 vaccine.

    Nearly 38 million people worldwide are living with HIV, which can lead to the potentially fatal disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

    Being diagnosed with HIV in the past was considered a death sentence. However, today, HIV is much more manageable with medications that can reduce viral loads to undetectable so the virus can’t be transmitted, as well as pills that can be taken to prevent infecting those who are HIV-negative.

    Despite decades of research, no vaccine has ever been developed. Several candidates have entered clinical trials but failed in later stages.

    Meanwhile, researchers hope that this breakthrough HIV vaccine can induce specific white blood cells, called B cells, which can then turn into what are known as broadly neutralizing antibodies that can neutralize the virus.

    “We are tremendously excited to be advancing this new direction in HIV vaccine design with Moderna’s mRNA platform. The search for an HIV vaccine has been long and challenging, and having new tools in terms of immunogens and platforms could be the key to making rapid progress toward an urgently needed, effective HIV vaccine. We are grateful to all of our partners and especially to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for funding this trial,” says Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of IAVI.

    On his part, Stephen Hoge, M.D., President of Moderna, said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with IAVI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to apply our mRNA technology in the setting of HIV. At Moderna, we believe that mRNA offers a unique opportunity to address critical unmet public health needs around the world.

    We believe advancing this HIV vaccine program in partnership with IAVI and Scripps Research is an important step in our mission to deliver on the potential for mRNA to improve human health”.

    According to the statement, Phase I of the trial will enroll 56 healthy, HIV-negative adult participants at GWU and three additional sites: Hope Clinic of Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle; and the University of Texas-Health Science Center at San Antonio.

    Of the volunteers, 48 will receive one or two doses of the mRNA vaccine, and 32 also will receive the booster. The remaining eight will receive just the booster.

    Researchers will then monitor for safety and efficacy of the new vaccine for up to six months after participants receive their final dose.

    “We’ve seen promising proof of concept for germline targeting in IAVI G001, and this trial lets us take that approach to the next stage. What’s more, we’ve been able to expedite production of clinical trial material at a remarkably rapid pace because of Moderna’s technology,” said William Schief, Ph.D., professor at Scripps Research and executive director of vaccine design at IAVI’s Neutralizing Antibody Center (NAC).

  • Nondisclosure of status, a major challenge to control HIV, By Carl Umegboro

    Nondisclosure of status, a major challenge to control HIV, By Carl Umegboro

    By Carl Umegboro

    Since 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that all people living with HIV (PLHIV) be provided with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART); a prescription for controlling HIV, including children, adolescents, adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women, regardless of clinical status or CD4 cell count. Globally, about 27.5 million [26.5–27.7 million] people living with HIV received ART in 2020. Health experts maintain that current Antiretrovirals (ARV) act mainly by antagonizing various HIV enzymes necessary for viral replication. Regrettably, the major challenge facing most developing nations is nondisclosure of status when tested HIV-positive. From investigation in Nigeria, many are reluctant to undergo HIV tests, and when they eventually submitted, some that tested HIV-positive refused to open up for fear of stigmatization.

    Nondisclosure of status has continued to constitute a barrier in the fight to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria. The stigmatization and discrimination that persons living with HIV are subjected to after disclosure demands a national emergency for sensitization. The way PLHIV are treated is critical and will always have adverse effects on other peoples’ disposition to go for tests or disclose their status. And many people are guilty of the oversights and misconception.

    For emphasis, to encourage HIV diagnosis and disclosure of status by people that tested HIV-positive, there are practical things to do towards helping a loved one who has been diagnosed with HIV. The first is invoking lively conversations instead of isolation. To talk and be available for open, honest conversations about HIV with the person who is diagnosed with HIV is pivotal considering that the person may not always want to talk about it. It is recommended that showing them that they are still the same person despite the status and that they are more than their diagnosis is important.

    Second, listening attentively to understand their challenges to be able to offer possible support rather than being judgmental or hypercritical will add values. In fact, to unremittingly bolster them that HIV is a manageable health condition and that with ART therapy, it can be managed and help them stay healthy and live long, can build them up. All that is requisite is to learn from it. Educate yourself about HIV: what it is, how it is transmitted, how it is treated, and how people can stay healthy while living with HIV. Having a solid understanding of HIV is tremendously a big step forward in supporting your loved one as that will eliminate discrimination or stigmatization against PLHIV.

    Third, encourage treatment by health experts knowing that some people who are freshly diagnosed may find it difficult to take the bold step to HIV treatment. Your support and assistance at this critical moment certainly will be helpful. By getting linked to HIV medical-care early, starting treatment with HIV drugs, adhering to medication, and staying in care, people with HIV can keep the virus under control, and prevent their HIV infection from progressing to AIDS. So, support medication adherence and find out possible areas to support PLHIV in establishing a medication routine and sticking to it.

    Incontrovertibly, HIV/AIDS has become a global epidemic. According to UNICEF, about 320,000 children and adolescents were infected with HIV in 2019, and traced to one in every one hundred seconds. In 2020, approximately 56-100 million people were infected with HIV globally with 36.3 million total deaths recorded on account of Covid-19 pandemic which obstructed HIV medications. In Nigeria, 20,695 children below 9 years were newly infected with HIV in 2020 or one child in every thirty minutes. And about thirty percent of AIDS-related deaths in 2020 occurred in children. Data also shows that only about 3.5 percent of the 1,629,427 Nigerians receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) are children, revealing a big treatment gap.

    Alarmingly, UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore said, “Unless we ramp up efforts to resolve the inequalities driving the HIV epidemic, which are now exacerbated by Covid-19, we may see more children infected with HIV and more children losing their fight against AIDS”.

    Health specialists explained that HIV targets the immune system and weakens people’s defense against many infections and some types of cancer that people with healthy immune systems can get rid of. As the virus destroys and impairs the function of immune cells, infected individuals gradually become immunodeficient. The immune function is typically measured by CD4 cell count. CD4 cell count is a test that measures the number of CD4 cells in the blood. CD4 cells, also known as T cells, are white blood cells that fight infection and play an important role in the human immune system. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which can take many years to develop if not treated. AIDS is characterized by the development of certain cancers, infections or other severe long-term clinical manifestations. The symptoms of HIV vary depending on the stage of infection.

    Last but not the least, a key step to encourage disclosure of status when tested HIV-positive is to acknowledge with cheers. Always acknowledge, if someone has disclosed their HIV status to you to be trustworthy with their private health information. This builds their confidence to keep hope alive. Care is a potent tool. Ensure that the person is uplifted to a significant measure to prevent any regrets after disclosure. Essentially, reassure through words and actions, that their HIV status does not change your relationship or classification about them.

    These steps will not only build confidence but will also encourage them on taking medications and by extension, ardently motivate them to be part of the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Again, it must be reemphasized that HIV cannot be transmitted by handshakes, hugging, playing-together or other casual contact except unprotected sexual intercourse, blood transfusion or percutaneous actions. This infers that the discrimination against PLHIV is uncalled for. Always bear in mind that their encounter is a stimulus needed to encourage newly diagnosed persons.

    Umegboro, a public affairs analyst and social advocate is reachable via: umegborocarl@gmail.com

  • Two things Nigeria can do to achieve HIV free population – NACA DG

    Two things Nigeria can do to achieve HIV free population – NACA DG

    The Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Gambo Aliyu has highlighted ways the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can be stopped in Nigeria.

    Aliyu spoke on Wednesday on a monitored Channels Television programme. According to him, the first step is to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission, noting that a generation free of HIV can be achieved once this is done.

    According to him, the more people living with HIV/AIDS are identified, the more the spread of the virus is being curbed.

    “If you want to stop HIV, two things are very critical. Stop mother-to-child transmission. If you eliminate it, you will have a generation free of HIV,” he said.

    “If you are giving birth to a generation with HIV, then you are going to stay with HIV for a long time to come because these individuals are just beginning a fresh life and they are likely to stay 50, 60, 70 years alive with HIV in their bodies if we are not successful in getting a cure before then.”

    The NACA boss also identified sex workers, transgender and drug users to be at high risk of contracting the virus.

    As part of measures in tackling the further spread of the virus, Aliyu said his agency is creating awareness by ensuring that unborn children are protected from the virus.

    While noting that the right of unborn children is guaranteed by the parents, the NACA boss charged couples against running away from their responsibility of conducting HIV tests once a pregnancy is detected.

    He added, “If it is HIV-Positive, that baby should be protected from having HIV. We can do it, we can prevent that baby from having HIV at the time of delivery, after delivery till the child is 18 months.

    “We have some kind of disconnection in the sense that our access to pregnant mothers is limited to those that show up at the facility for an antenatal visit. It may surprise you that half of the pregnant women don’t come for an antenatal visit.

     

  • JUST IN: Accomplice of billionaire kidnapper, Evans dies in prison from HIV complications

    JUST IN: Accomplice of billionaire kidnapper, Evans dies in prison from HIV complications

    Chiemeka Arinze, an accomplice of suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, has died in prison custody.

    Arinze is standing trial alongside Evans, Joseph Emeka, and Udeme Upong, over the attempted kidnap of the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court.

    They are facing seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms.

    The suspects were to appear before the court on Monday for continuation of trial.

    Sources at Kirikiri Correctional Centre said Arinze died on Friday, November 26, 2021 as a result of Cardiopulmonary arrest.

    According to them, Arinze, who has been sick for some time, was rushed from the Kirikiri custodial Centre to a General Hospital on Friday where he later died.

    The medical records from Ajeromi General Hospital, Ajegunle signed by Dr. Salisu B. E. indicated that the deceased,45, was suffering from complicated “Advanced HIV.”

  • Teacher who raped, infected 14 pupils with HIV in police net

    Teacher who raped, infected 14 pupils with HIV in police net

    A middle aged Grade two teacher, Usman Galadima has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for defiling 14 pupils of Central Primary School Karabonde Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

    This is as the Niger State Government has constituted a Committee to investigate the incident as he is said to have infected the children with the dreaded HIV an allegation not yet verified.

    The state Child Right Agency, Director General, Mariam Kolo had last week confirmed the incident.

    The Committee set up by the government is to be headed by the state Commissioner for Education Hajiya Hanatu Jibrin Salihu. Others are the Director Child Right Protection Agency, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) among others in the state.

    A top source told our correspondent that as soon as the state CID is done with interrogation, the accused would be brought before the Committee for further questioning.

    According to the source, “the Committee is travelling today (Sunday) to Borgu on a four day facts finding mission on the matter. The development is so pathetic”.

    After the incident, the girls were said to have been taken to the hospital where it was discovered that the teacher who molested them is HIV positive.

    A source whose relatives are among the abused pupils revealed that the families of the victims are worried the children may not get justice as it appears some elders in the community are trying to protect the accused.

    Galadima who has already been suspended from work by the state SUBEB for allegedly assaulting the 14 girls sexually had confessed to the crime before a Committee constituted by the Councils’ Education Secretary, last week.

    One of the parents who did not want her name mentioned said Galadima was reported in July when two female pupils summoned the courage to report him to the head teacher for molesting them sexually.

    She said “the pupils were afraid to speak earlier after Galadima threatened to kill them if they dare mention to anyone what he did to them”.

    The case it was gathered was later reported to the headmaster of the school, Mallam Abdullahi Toure, by Hajiya Maimunat after which the accused teacher was summoned.

    The state Commissioner for Education Hajiya Hanatu Jibrin Salihu could not be reached for reaction to the development.

    Confirming the arrest of the suspect, the state Police command through the Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun said the suspect is with the Command over the allegations of sexual assault.

    According to him, the suspect initially disappeared, but was later arrested and transferred to Minna by the DPO of Borgu Divisional Police Station.

  • Bill for compulsory HIV, hepatitis, sickle cell test passes second reading in Zamfara assembly

    Bill for compulsory HIV, hepatitis, sickle cell test passes second reading in Zamfara assembly

    A private member’s bill to provide a law for compulsory free pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, sickle cell tests, before marriage in the state, has scaled its second reading at the Zamfara House Assembly.

    This was contained in a statement issued in Gusau, on Thursday, by Malam Mustafa Jafaru-Kaura the Director- General, Press Affairs and Public Relations of the house.

    Jafaru-Kaura said that the house considered the bill, which also included prohibition of all forms of discrimination and stigmatization, against those who tested positive in the state and for other related matters 2021.

    The private bill was sponsored by Yusuf Kanoma (APC, Maru North).

    Presenting the bill before the house at plenary on Thursday, Kanoma urged members of the house to support the motion on the bill.

    After long deliberations on the matter by the lawmakers, the Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Musa Bawa, who presided over the plenary, said the bill should be allowed to scale its second reading, considering its importance, in protecting the lives of the people.

    “As lawmakers, we must ensure effective laws to guarantee good health care delivery for our people”, he said.

    After giving the bill its second reading by the house, the Deputy Speaker directed the House Committee on Health and Human Medicine to scrutinise the bill and report back to the house in one month.

    He also warned that a public hearing must be conducted to seek the opinions of Islamic scholars and opinion leaders on the bill.