RVHA Wants Increased Efforts At Combating HIV, AIDS

The Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) has called on all revalent stakeholders and the private sector to join hands in combating HIV and AIDS in the state.
The speaker of the house, Rt Hon. Ikumyi-Owaji Ibani made the call, when he received a delegation from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at his office in Port Harcourt assured of the assembly’s support to the body in the fight against the disease.
Ibani, who expressed concern over the increasing population of persons infected with HIV and AIDS in Rivers State, called on revelant stakeholders and the private sector to join hands in combating the disease in the state.
He said if nothing is done urgently to stop the killer disease, it would definitely impact negatively on the population of the state.
“For us as an institution, we will continue to partner with the developemt programme that would better the lives of Rivers State people. We will not welcome any programme that has no impact on the welfare of our people. We believe that USAID has development programmes for the people of this state, and so we are ready to partner with you to save the lives of our people from the prevailing HIV and AIDS in the state”, the speaker said.
Ibani urged the agency to do its best to reduce the scourge in the society.
The speaker, who noted that women were the most infected with HIV and AIDS urged adequate care of women, saying that if women are not protected the men equally are not protected.
Earlier, the Special Adviser on HIV, AIDS and Tuberculosis of USAID in Nigeria, Dr Bassey Nsa said of the over 120,000 persons presently infected with HIV and AIDS in Rivers State, pregnant women are predominant.
He said the agency’s programme, which will commence very soon in the first quarter of this year, world be focusing on pregnant women in the state.
Nsa regretted that with the prevailing economic downturn in Nigeria, the agency may not do much in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.

Enoch Epelle