Nigeria Has 10% Of World’s HIV Infected Adolescents – UNICEF


By Chioma Umeha

Worried about the spate of HIV infection among them, Nigerian Adolescents Living With HIV (ALWH) has called on government to quickly intervene to improve their health and provide them with quality life.
The call came on the heels of United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), recent concerns over the high number of Nigerian adolescents infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The UN agency reiterated that about 196,000 adolescents, aged between 10 and 19, were living with the dreaded infection.
The adolescents, therefore, urged State agencies for the Control of AIDS (SACA) along with other stakeholders within government, international and community organisation to establish and support platforms for ALHIV.
These include, support groups, annual camps, among others for sharing of experiences, psychosocial support; and to empower them in reproductive health, treatment adherence, as peer mentors and other adolescent related issues.
The call was contained in a communiqué, which they released at the end of the two-week ‘National Mentorship and Leadership Training for Adolescents Living with HIV (ALHIV) in Nigeria,’ which held between August 21  and September 3, at  Ronik Comprehensive Secondary School, Ejigbo, Lagos State.
The communiqué read: “We note with sadness that as at 2014, about 196,000 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 were living with HIV and about 11,000 died of AIDS related cases in 2013 out of an estimated adolescent population of 38,882,000 in Nigeria.This is most unacceptable to us,” the communiqué added.
It further said that the Ministries of Health and other health service providers should provide standardized adolescent and youth friendly health services to help keep AIDS free adolescents.
The communiqué also said: “Government and all stakeholders should support the implementation of sexuality education that addresses the specific needs of adolescents living with HIV.
“Adolescents living with HIV should be represented at relevant state and national technical’s working groups to ensure integration and young issues affecting adolescents and young people.
“The government should have a policy against pre-admission HIV test and other forms of discrimination against adolescents and young people seeking admission into learning institutions.
“The adolescents also told government and all stakeholders to facilitate free comprehensive HIV treatment (no user fees, or payment of any form etc) for adolescents and young people in all government owned sites across the country.”
According to them, the age of consent for HIV counseling and testing and for starting HIV treatment should be reduced to 14 instead of the current 18 years. This will ensure more young people know their HIV status on time and commence treatment promptly.
“The government at all levels should comply with the Abuja Declaration of 2010 commitment, of 15 per cent of their annual budget to the health sector. This will help to increase allocation to HIV/AIDS programs and improve access to health by young people. We are not happy that 16 years after the Abuja declaration, this is yet to be achieved,” the communiqué further read.
Similarly, the officer-in-charge of Adolescent HIV Response, UNICEF Nigeria, Dr. Victoria Isiramen, reiterated that more adolescents, aged between 10 and19, were living with the dreaded disease.
She noted that 11,000 adolescents died of AIDS- related cases in 2013 out of their estimated population of 38,882,000 and another estimated 17, 000 older adolescents (15-19), were newly infected during the year under review based on the 2014 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey(NDHS).
According to her, Nigeria houses 10 per cent of world’s infected adolescents, hence the need for the nation to urgently reverse the trend. The essence of program, that hosted 50 infected adolescents from six states of the federation, was to educate and empower them as advocates in their states.
Isiramen observed that it was part of UNICEF’s mandate to ensure that adolescents were captured in every aspect of HIV responses, as the disease could not be eradicated without their involvement.
She said the trained adolescents were agents of change in the quest to eradicating the scourge. “Without adolescents being at the centre of HIV responses at all levels, we cannot see the end of HIV/ AID,” Isiramen remarked.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insurgency: Nigerian Army Clears 25 More Children Of Links With Armed Groups, Says UNICEF

Image
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said Thursday that 25 more children had been freed from Nigerian Army administrative custody having been cleared of suspected links with armed groups. With this number, a total of 44 children had been released this year, bringing the number to 1,627 children since 2016, that is four years now, the UN agency for children has said. UNICEF which announced this in a press statement signed by its Communication Specialist, Dr. Geoffrey Njoku, specifically said, “Twenty-three boys and two girls were released today from Nigerian Army administrative custody after being cleared of suspected ties with armed groups. This brings the number of children released this year to 44,” it added. It bemoaned the discrimination, deprivation and cruelty which the children have suffered. “These are children taken away from their families and communities, deprived of their childhood, education, health-care, and of the chance to grow up in a safe and enabling envir
Read more

Limited Information Frustrates Young Women From Using Family Planning

Image
BY CHIOMA UMEHA, Awareness and proper understanding of family planning has been recognised to reduce maternal death among young women of reproductive age between 15 and 49. Data on Sexual Reproductive Health outcomes in Nigeria stresses the importance of focusing on adolescents. At 576 maternal death per 1,000 live births, Nigeria accounts for 14 percent of the global burden of maternal mortality (NDHS 2013/WHO 2014). Global evidence shows that young girls bear a higher burden of maternal mortality and morbidity. Data shows that the average age at sexual debut is roughly 15 years of age among adolescent mothers in Nigeria. (NDHS 2003, 2008, 2013). The National adolescent fertility rate in Nigeria is 122 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years. In the North Western States, it is as high as 171 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years. To stem this, the government of Lagos State with support from partners and other donor agencies has put in place youth-friendly he
Read more

PSN President Commissions ACPN National Secretariat

Image
Chioma Umeha History was made among the community pharmacists recently, as the national body of the Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN) inaugurated its National Secretariat at Ikeja, Lagos State. The event was graced by many notable personalities in the pharmaceutical sector including, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) who commissioned the befitting edifice. Other notable guests at the event were – Dr. UNO Uwaga, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for ACPN; Pharm. Bukky George, the Managing Director of Healthplus, among many former presidents of different pharmaceutical bodies. Pharm. Yakasai stated that it was a thing of joy for him to see this development come to light. He said that he is ‘a proud father’ as the inauguration of the building was a “testimony of when you have a proud son who can carry out directives.” He described the secretariat as “A home for all pharmacists across board.”
Read more