50,000 persons living with HIV in Osun, says O’SACA
The Executive Secretary of the Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (O’SACA) Dr. Adeniyi Oginni has said no fewer than 50,000 persons in the state live with HIV.
The agency has therefore begun distribution of preventive tools, and Ogini appealed to persons with HIV to come out for tests.
Ogini explained that distribution of the commodities to the 31 Local Agency for the Control of AIDS (LACA Managers), Network of People Living with AIDS (NEPWHAN), Implementing partners, CBOs working on HIV, Civil Society working on HIV/AIDS (CiSHAN) and some ART clinics in the state, was part of efforts to stop further spread of the disease.
He said: “About 50,000 people are still living with HIV in Osun, with 28,000 of them already receiving treatment. Available statistics show that the prevalence of HIV in Osun State is 0.9 per cent. With an estimated population of 5.2 million people, this translates to about 50,000 persons living with the virus in the state.
“There are still so many that have not come out to be tested. But we are urging them to come out to be tested. If you know your status, you will start treatment immediately and you will get to a level where you are no longer a threat to yourself or the community.”
