HIV: Nigerian Urban Centres Worst Affected  — Olugboji

By TITILOLA OLUKOYA

Nigeria is said to be the third ranked in the world after India, and South Africa with cases of HIV/AIDS. This was disclosed weekend at a round table discussion on accountability and transparency issues in HIV/AIDS funding, designed to address the important area of health care, especially on HIV/AIDS.
It was organised by the Independent Advocacy Project (IAD) which seeks to raise public awareness on Accountability and transparency issues on HIV/AID funding and the operation of HIV bodies as well as build the capacity of human rights, civil society organisations, community based on organisation, gender rights and other groups working on HIV/AIDS.
The event took place at the Women Development Centre Lagos. According to Dr. Babatunde Olugboji, Non Executive Chairman, IAD,  millions of people are living with HIV, while thousands still contract the disease everyday.
He noted that urban centres are Nigeria's HIV/AIDS hot spots and in these cities, the prevalence ranges from 15 percent among the adult population to 20 percent in pregnant women.
He also said there is 70 percent infection rate among adult in the 20-39 age group. He stated that corruption and embezzlement of funds have affected the treatment of the disease.
Drug counterfeit, he said is another issue that has affected the management of HIV/AIDS.
According to him, the response of HIV/AIDS must necessarily involve an increase in fund available to purchase drugs by scaling up budget.
The group identified the following factors as responsible for the high prevalence of HIV/AID in the country. High rate of unsafe blood transfusion at 14 percent, culture of silence and stigma, high poverty level among others.
According to Mrs. Abiola Akiyode  Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocate Research and Document Centre (WARDC) on HIV/AIDS funding and regulation, A Gender Analysis, heterosexual women have been shown to be the group with the greatest increase in prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
Also, she said UNAIDS for example, estimates that in Sub Saharan Africa, women are more likely,q at least 1.3 times to be infected as men and that among younger age groups such as 15-24 years.
She further said, the nexus between HIV/AIDS and gender discrimination stems from the fact that women's physiological vulnerability to HIV infection is compounded by pervasive sexual and domestic violence.
She said, the problems also appears to be a more profound lack of understanding of the concept of gender and its importance for AIDS related policy and intervention work.
She said, fear, violence, stigma, and ostracism and even pregnant women avoid taking HIV tests, thereby denying themselves crucial information about their health and excluding themselves from programmes to prevent HIV transmission in their newborn.
On her part, Seyi Abejide Elizabeth, Zonal Funding Adviser South West, Action Aid, HIV/AID, funding in Nigeria  continues to affect the most potent population as most states and local government areas do not have specific allocation for HIV and AIDS  programme.
The following were outlined by the group to promote transparency and accountability in fund for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.
Increasing transparency by donor and recipient is important, the public should have unrestricted access to information on key aspect.
Donor and recipient should work to ensure that a significant percent of HIV goes directly for prevention and treatment.
(3.)    HIV/AID is human right and government issue, mandate should become fully engaged in battle against HIV/AIDS. Protection of workers' right on the  job for those affected.