The government of Rivers State is to unveil an HIV/AIDS treatment center in Gokana Local Government Area in Rivers State as part of efforts to check the spread of the disease. The local government has been recently been found to have the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the state.
Speaking during a one-day advocacy meeting with traditional rulers and Community Development Committee (CDC) chairmen , yesterday, the executive Director of the Rivers State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA), Dr Chimeizi Okeh, said the establishment of a treatment centre in Gokana would go a long way to decongest the Bori General Hospital, where HIV/AIDS infected persons in the area currently access treatment and care.
Dr Okeh, who urged the participants to take the meeting seriously, noted that in the near future, almost all local government areas (LGAs) would have treatment centres in order to alleviate the economic and financial burden of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) in the state.
The executive director of RIVSACA noted that the advocacy meeting was aimed at enhancing HIV/AIDS response in Gokana by the LGA and communities, saying that “ this process will be introduced in all the LGAs in the state.
In his presentation, the Director, HIV prevention, RIVSACA, Dr Francis Naziga harped on facts about HIV/AIDS, beginning from when the first infection was noticed in Rivers State through the early stage of infection known as ‘window period”.
According to him, the window period is the time lag between the onset of infection to sero-conversion, during which time the body has not produced enough antibodies to be detected when tested for HIV/AIDS. This period last for about 12 weeks.
Also speaking, the chairman of Gokana LGA, Hon Demua Leedee Demua assured of the LGAs readiness to partner RIVSACA and other stakeholders to check the trend of HIV/AIDS in the area.
He stated that the LGA was already making plans to provide a space for the installation of HIV testing machines.
The ownership of LGAHIV response project is designed to bring in all elected or appointed LGA officials, CDCs, council of chiefs, churches, women organizations, youth organizations and other relevant stakeholders into HIV/AIDS intervention.
Source: OgoniNews
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