HIV/AIDs: 22,000 persons not on drugs in Nasarawa – NASACA

The Nasarawa State Aids Control Agency (NASACA) has said 22,000 persons infected with HIV/AIDs across the 13 local government areas of the state are not on drugs. According to NASACA, 65,000 people across the state infected with the disease are on anti-retroviral drugs. Dr Ruth Bello, the Executive Director of NASACA, revealed this on Tuesday […]

The Nasarawa State Aids Control Agency (NASACA) has said 22,000 persons infected with HIV/AIDs across the 13 local government areas of the state are not on drugs.

According to NASACA, 65,000 people across the state infected with the disease are on anti-retroviral drugs.

Dr Ruth Bello, the Executive Director of NASACA, revealed this on Tuesday in Lafia, the state capital, when she led her management team before the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Health to present the agency’s 2021 budget performance.

Dr Ruth, told the committee that, “We will continue to educate, create awareness and sensitise people of the state on the danger of HIV and its prevention in the interest of their health and for the overall development of the state.”

She identified lack of permanent staff, inadequate overhead, funding and office accommodation, among others, as the challenges affecting the operations of the agency.

Even with the challenges, she advised residents of the state to always go for medical checkup in order to know their health status.

Hon Usman Shafa, the chairman of the committee, said they would continue to support the activities of NASACA in order to tackle HIV/AIDs in the state.

Hon Shafa affirmed that supporting the activities of the agency would not only tackle the disease but would also improve the health status of the people of the state.

He, therefore, urged the state government to urgently provide NASACA with permanent office accommodation.