Data from the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA) has shown that up to 34.1% of new HIV infections in Nigeria occur among adolescents and young adults.
This was disclosed by Pharmacist Harry Omoakhia, Product Manager, Mozuk Mediequip, at the OraQuick Campus Storm which was held at the University of Abuja on Saturday.
Speaking to journalists after the event, Omoakhia said the OraQuick Campus Storm was organised as a collaboration between the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University of Abuja, John Snow Research and Training Institute, Orasure Technologies, Mozuk Mediequip and Heartland Alliance to create awareness about HIV and need for HIV testing using the self-testing kits, OraQuick.
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Omoakhia said, “Data from NACA shows that there are new incidences of HIV in Nigeria. There have been a lot of interventions but there is the problem of new infections.
“The HIV prevalence among adolescents aged 15–19 is estimated to be 2.9%, while among young people aged 20–24, the prevalence is 3.2%.
“In addition, up to 34.1% of new HIV infections in Nigeria occur among adolescents and young adults. Despite a high incidence of HIV among this group, testing for HIV among this population is low.
“So we have to create more awareness amongst young people. One of the ways to prevent HIV is to test, and OraQuick is a self-testing kit they can use in their closet to test for HIV and get results, just as you have a kit to test for pregnancy. The oral-based test can help you test because we have found out that young people feel reluctant to go for tests in traditional settings like hospitals because of stigmatization,” he said.
Speaking during the talk show, the Market Development and Policy Advisor John Snow Incorporated (JSI) Nigeria, Mr Augustine Ajijilek, listed the three ABCs of HIV prevention.
“The ‘A’ stands for abstinence, the ‘B’ stands for Being faithful to your partner and the ‘C’ stands for use of Condom.
“We encourage young persons to adhere to these three preventive measures as around 90 per cent of HIV infection in Nigeria is through sexual intercourse.”
Ajijilek advised the students to also use the HIV self-testing kit to know their status, adding that the kits are available in community pharmacies, health facilities and related stores.
The Student Union Government (SUG) President at the University of Abuja Bashir Abdullahi said the student community has benefited from the programme immensely and thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the programme.
“I believe this awareness on HIV prevention is going to help our students to a very reasonable extent. During the talk show, you could see that the students were learning new things and the enlightenment helped them in the areas they were misinformed,” he said.
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