The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in
Bayelsa has dropped from 9.1 per cent in 2010 to 3.8 per cent in 2016, the
state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimi Etebu, has said.
He said this on Thursday in Yenagoa while speaking at a
programme to end a two-year project for the prevention of mother to child
transmission of HIV/AIDS, sponsored by Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL).
Etebu attributed the decline to sustained partnership between
the state government and donor agencies as well as improved funding of the
Bayelsa Action Committee on AIDS.
He said his ministry has carefully monitored the steady decline
and the sustained awareness created around the virus.
“We are happy of the progress made in the last six years,’’ he
said.
Mr Esimaje Brikinn, General Manager, Government and Public
Affairs in Chevron, said the prevention of mother to child transmission was to
assist women in the social sustainable community based initiative in the Niger
Delta.
He said that the firm had sponsored the first phase of the
project in 2012 and concluded in 2014, while the second phase commenced in 2016
and terminate in April 2018.
Birikin said that Chevron had spent $1.43 million for the second
phase of prevention of mother to child Transmission (PROMOT 2) over a two-year
period; from 2014 to 2016.
“Some of us here today will recollect that PROMOT 1 was a great
success, as it helped contribute to the reduction of Bayelsa’s HIV prevalence
from 9.1 per cent in 2010 to 3.8 per cent.
“Bayelsa was number three among the 36 states in Nigeria, but
today Bayelsa is listed in the 15th position.
“Just like PROMOT 1, PROMOT 2 has helped increase up take of
prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTC) of HIV services in target
populations,’’ he added.
He said this was achieved by increasing community awareness of
PMTC services and through community-based mentoring and support for
HIV-positive pregnant women.
“It helped in creating a sustainable-based and
government-supported PMTC community outreach programme that has continued to
build demand for ante-natal services,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Rabi Sani, Country Director of Pact West
Africa, the implementing NGO, said over 56,000 pregnant women have been tested.
She said that more than 300,000 pregnant women were exposed to
PROMOT messages, while 700 community health extension workers were trained on
new techniques for prevention of mother to child transmission.
Also Mrs Faith Imomotimi, a women leader at Ofonbiri in
Kolokumo/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa, commended the donor as it
has changed the attitude of women who used to prefer Traditional Birth
Attendants to health centres.
“We are glad at the impact of the programme, the health facility
was desolate, and there were no patients before.
“Now, there are patients, we now have two resident doctors due
to the upsurge in the number of patients,” she said.
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