[afro-nets] Most Nigerians Don't Believe in AIDS

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

Most Nigerians Don't Believe in AIDS
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AllAfrica.com, September 14, 2004

Most Nigerians Don't Believe in Aids - NACA Boss

Josephine Lohor
Abuja

Chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), Prof.
Babatunde Osotimehin, yesterday revealed that only about 20 per
cent of the country's 140 million population believed in the re-
ality of HIV/AIDS.

He told State House correspondents after the meeting of the
Presidential Council on at the Presidential Villa that "you will
be surprised that 90 per cent of Nigerians know about HIV/AIDS
but only about 20 per cent believe it is real."

President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chaired the meeting even la-
mented that the level of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country put
at five per cent, was still too high.

Issues discussed at the meeting include the need for more educa-
tion and awareness of the prevalence of the pandemic, inter-
departmental co-operation, level of assistance from donor agen-
cies and other nations.

The president, according to a statement by the Senior Special
Assistant on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, quoted Obasanjo as com-
mending donor agencies for their assistance to the country.

During his briefing, the NACA chairman, Prof. Osotimehin ex-
plained that the presidential council adopted some measures to-
wards tackling the menace of the deadly disease.

The measures, according to him, centered on how to increase more
awareness about HIV/AIDS at the community level, finding cheaper
ways of medication for patients, as well as information manage-
ment system.

Others are the presentation of the Behaviour Chain Communi-
cation (BCC) strategy and a national policy on HIV/AIDS even as
he solicited the co-operation of governors and local government
chairmen on the need to stem the prevalence rate currently put
at five per cent.

Osotimehin stressed that ministers from key ministries such as
defence, education, women affairs, heath and internal affairs
attended the meeting to underline the multi-sectorality of the
pandemic.

The NACA chairman noted that HIV/AIDS was not just a health is-
sue but a development phenomenon, explaining that for this rea-
son, "everybody has to get on board."

On discrimination against person living with the pandemic, he
declared that the problem was being dealt with in various ways
one of which was the bill before the National Assembly, seeking
to protect and provide legal cover for them.

Osotimehin further pointed out that the Federal Government was
planning to increase the number of HIV/AIDS patients enjoying
subsidised distribution of anti-retroviral drugs from 15,000 to
30,000 before the end of the year.

"As you might be aware, we are going to benefit from the global
fund, the President Bush Initiative which we hope will raise
this number (15,000) to 30,000 before the end of the year," he
said.

The NECA chairman also said that government was collaborating
with some Nigerians abroad and local pharmaceutical companies to
produce anti-retroviral drugs.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200409140791.html