HIV/AIDS: 3.5m Sexually Active Nigerians Infected – SFH

The Society for Family Health (SFH) says over 3.5 million sexually active youths within the ages of 15 to 24 years are already living with the HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

The Regional Manager of Society for Family Health, Ms Ofurum Oluchi, who stated this during the SFH stakeholders forum in dissemination of SFH programmes in Port Harcourt said about 33.2 million are also infected with HIV globally.Of these numbers  that are infected, about 50 percent are women, while 2.7 million are new cases, and deaths due to AIDS accounts for 2 million.

About14,000 new infections occur everyday and more than 9.5 per cent are in low and middle income countries adding that almost half of the new infections are among adolescents and youths.

She said that the prevalence was higher among those with primary and secondary level of education and least among those Qu’amic only saying that there was a declining HIV prevalence trend among women within the age of 15 – 24 years from 2001 to 2008.

She further explained that the prevalence rate of the infection in Rivers State ranges from 1 per cent  in 1996 to 7.3 per cent in 2008.

“The reason for such increase in prevalence rate is 7.3 that the rate of intervention and enlightenment  has increased, so more people are beginning to come out from their hide outs to access treatment and also to ascertain their HIV status in the hospitals.

On her part, Mrs Obianuju Mike Omelu of SFH said, her organisation has been able to conduct intensive intervention in 12 communities reaching a total of 101,850 person during formal outreache programme in the communities between 2005 – 2007, while comprehensive integrated HIV prevention and care intervention from 2008 to 2009 with 105 peer educators have reached over 25,380 persons.

Sogbeba Dokubo