RSG Rejects Ranking On AIDS

The Rivers State Government has rejected a data released by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) ranking Rivers State as the highest in terms of HIV in Nigeria.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Prince Chike made the rejection yesterday when the team of NACA visited him in Port Harcourt.
Chike queried the criteria used in conducting the survey 2012 which place Rivers State as the state with the highest prevalent rate.
“In medical scientist there are no medical politics for somebody to say Rivers State then had so and so percentage was not fair to the people hence NACA.
“There are parts of Rivers State that you will be on boat for two or three hours before you get there and those collating these data don’t go to those remote areas, so how do they get their data and access the people? The outside world believes it is river of blood, but did you see any dead bodies or see people who are beheaded as you are in Rivers State? I think I am one of those favoured to be a commissioner under Chief Nyesom Wike, who is committed to the Health Sector,” Chike added.
The Head of Public Relations and Protocol of the NACA in Nigeria, Toyin Aderebigwe appealed to the Rivers State Government to invest more in the campaign of HIV/AIDS.
“Different states have different, they have different languages which they speak and slogan that would touch the people to react to the message we are sending. We know that only about 17 per cent of youth know their HIV/AIDS status. Personal account is the gateway to prevention and that is not good enough and we want people to know their HIV status and the services available.
“We have just two prayers. Sir, we want you to talk to the commissioner for information, to help us in getting a discounted rate for NACA and SACA when we want to place jingles.