The Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ADSACA), Dr Mohammed Abubakar has said that the incidence of HIV/AIDS has reduced drastically in the state and around the country.
The specialist in the control of HIV/AIDS told reporters at the weekend that the HIV and the AIDS it causes have been substantially tamed in Adamawa State through the use of newly developed drugs and protocols, as well as increased funding of intervention services.
Dr Abubakar, who has been a focal HIV control specialist since 2008 and became the ADSACA scribe in 2019, told reporters in Yola, the state capital, that the extent at which global and local efforts in the control of HIV have succeeded is evident, especially in the area of mother-to-child transmission.
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On control approaches that have worked, he said: “Before 2019, not only for expectant mothers but also anybody who tests positive, you had to measure the cd4 count. Your immune system had to go down. The virus has to deal with you until your cd4 is very low before they start to give you drugs. But, the World Health Organisation (WHO) came in 2019 and said no.
“They came up with the policy called Test-and-Start. Immediately someone tests HIV positive, you start taking drugs. You no more wait for the virus to multiply in your system. It’s expectant mothers before that were given prophylaxis; but now, any woman that is HIV positive is placed on full HIV treatment.”
He added: “There was also a new drug introduced in 2019 called Dolutegravir. This is one of the best HIV drugs so far. It suppresses the virus to such a level that you cannot transmit the virus. It is working so well.”
Recalling how Adamawa State rated the 4th worst HIV-affected state in the country in 2005 with a 7.6 per cent prevalent rate but is now 19th with a 1.1 prevalence rate (according to a 2018 national survey), the ADSACA Executive Secretary said political will and funding by the state government has empowered his agency to raise HIV prevention and control services which have impacted noticeably on the populace.
Dr Abubakar, who said that his agency currently has about 36,000 people on drugs, said the state succeeds in bringing down new infections by adopting global best practices as enabled by higher funding.
He said: “Now, the Adamawa State Governor has shown us political will and funding, including counterpart funding which has enabled high-intensity HIV prevention and control services.
“Particularly in terms of financing, these last three years, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has given the agency what the previous governors combined never given the agency.”