Anambra Govt partners group on HIV surge interventions

Anambra Govt partners group on HIV surge interventionsHIVBy Lucy Osuizigbo-OkechukwuAwka, April. 23, 2021(NAN) The Anambra Government has renewed its partnership with the Achieving Health Initiative (AHNi), with funding support from the Global Fund, to commence HIV surge interventions across the state.Dr Vincent Okpala, Commissioner for Health, during a meeting with the leadership of AHNi in Awka on Friday said that the intervention would help save  lives of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the state.Okpala  said that the intervention would also help

combat HIV epidemic in the state which is at a 2.4 per cent prevalence rate , according to the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS).“We appreciate your continued support in sustaining active case finding and treatment of identified HIV/AIDS patients in the state.“The state government will continue to provide the necessary institutional support as well as create an enabling platform to ensure that the objectives of this programme are actualised.“We are committed to sustaining the drive to reduce the burden of HIV in the state, “he said.Okpala urged the public to be aware of  their HIV status by going for testing in any of the state health facility. Earlier, Mrs Nkiru Nwadioke, Managing Director,

AHNi, who is a sub recipient  to the Family Health International (FHI 360), said that the non-profit organisation would lead the implementation of the surge interventions in the state.Nwadioke said that AHNi would provide the overall technical support and direction on the programme implementation.According to her, it will be a robust community directed interventions to close existing unmet HIV needs in an effort aimed at leading Anambra toward epidemic control.“The focus areas of HIV surge Interventions include active case finding and

Antiretroviral Therapy services for identified HIV positive persons at both hospital and community level.“Others are, key population programming through the One-Stop-Shop already setup in the state and the Adolescent Girls and Young Women Programme in selected LGAs,” she said.(NAN)