The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AIDS

  • Sustain the gains on AIDS, TB and Malaria

    Atinuke recently completed her national youth service having graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2014 where she read Pharmacy. She was born HIV positive in 1990. Now 26, she has lived with the disease all her life. She had once coped with TB co-infection but being the fighter she is, had beaten TB hands down. Both her father and mother are also HIV positive, everyone is fine now, with undetectable viral loads, a clear indication of the progress in HIV/AIDS treatment.

    Atinuke and her family represents a generation of Nigerians whose lives were shaped by HIV/AIDS in its entirety, and they come not in small numbers, with 3.4 million Nigerians projected to be living with HIV/AIDS. For Atinuke and others in her shoes, they got a second shot at life and are able to live productive lives because of the programmes being supported by the Global Fund which provides treatment ensuring they can have children of their own who are free of the burden of the disease. It is instructive to note that several others are not as lucky as Atinuke, lacking every access to the life-saving treatment they require.

    HIV/AIDS remain a major development crisis. Since the pandemic began, it has killed millions, separated families, and destroyed and impoverished communities. In some countries, life expectancy has fallen by more than 20 years. The scale of the epidemic is causing informal social safety nets to collapse. Overall, health care is under pressure as health services struggle with mounting demand. Workforces are being decimated, with severe consequences for investment, production, and per capita income while posing as a severe threat to global health, development, and security.

    In retrospect, we have to appreciate the tremendous progress that has also been made in the fight against the three diseases achieving life-saving impacts that were unthinkable at the turn of the millennium. In 2000, just 50,000 people were receiving antiretroviral (ART) therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, but by 2011, it had climbed to over 7 million. Now, more than 17 million lives have been saved. Current projections show that more than 2 million lives are being saved each year. About 8.6 million people are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy for HIV and 16 million people with HIV-TB co-infection have been treated. Nearly 3.3 million mothers have received treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies and 560 million people with malaria have been treated.

    However, if global funding for HIV / AIDS and TB were to remain static as we are currently experiencing, some of the consequences would include: 2.6 million new HIV infections every year, of which 1.3 million could be averted through scale-up. In total 3.9 million new HIV infections was projected for the period 2014-2016 and $47 billion of costs throughout the lifetimes of those additional people infected. Three million less people will be treated for TB and one million lives would be unnecessarily lost with uncontrollable multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) if we don’t treat TB now for as little as $30 per patient because MDR-TB can cost up to 1000 times more to treat. It will also mean 196,000 lives lost to Malaria per year and 430 million malaria cases that could have been prevented, according to Cost of Inaction, a report on how inadequate investment in the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will affect millions of lives across the globe.

    It is crucial to acknowledge that the fatigue in donor replenishment of the Global Fund is coming at a time that experts have suggested offers the most hope in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria. It therefore goes to show that the Global Fund needs a robust infusion of pledges from traditional donor countries most notably world economic powers such as Germany and China, to successfully hit, and hopefully exceed, the fundraising target of $13 billion for the Fifth Replenishment Round.

    It is in this regard that we must acknowledge the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and its global partners on the launch of The Fund campaign targeting countries like Germany, Japan and China to act in the interest of humanity and increase their contributions to the Global Fund. Across AHF country programmes, Nigeria inclusive, various activities have been launched, ranging from advocacy meetings with country reps at various embassies to staging press conferences to put the issue on the global agenda and highlight the sense of urgency.  In May, Japan announced a contribution of $800 million for the fifth replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria which shows AHF’s effort and messages is reverberating.

    Nowhere else can the Global Fund’s impact be louder than Nigeria where the Fund has provided HIV care and treatment to 750,000 people, ensuring TB treatment to 310,000 as it provided 93.4 million mosquito nets to households to ward off malaria. Nigeria also currently represents the Global Fund’s largest portfolio with a total of $1.1 billion allocated to fighting the three diseases from 2014-2016. Unfortunately, since 2010, the Global Fund has never achieved its targeted funding. Therefore, increasing and sustaining the funding to the Global Fund is imperative to sustaining the gains achieved over the last decade, and the last few years in particular.

     

    • Aborisade is Founder/Coordinator, Projekthope.
  • Death from road accidents higher than AIDS – FRSC

    Death from road accidents higher than AIDS – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that the number of deaths recorded daily on highways through road accidents is higher than death from the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

    This was disclosed by the acting Sector Commander of FRSC in Lagos State, Michael Olapade during a courtesy call on the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa in his office, Alausa Ikeja on Tuesday.

    While recalling the death of Minister of state for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi, his wife and son as a result of an auto crash along Abuja-Kaduna road, Olapada said “the lives of our youths are being lost on daily basis. Many people talk of AIDS as most deadly, FRSC do not believe this when you talk of number of deaths, road accidents are higher.”

    The sector Commander explained that as everybody continues to aspire in life, “we want to partner with all the people that are important to the people so that we will save lives for Nigeria to be better.”

    While appealing for more support from the House, Olapade stated that the number of units and equipment for the organisation is inadequate.

    He pointed out that the institution in Lagos has 15 units and one sector command, saying that out of the total number of vehicles in the country, Lagos state has one quarter. “The number of these units is not enough to complement the efforts of other traffic agencies like LASTMA and VIO.”

    While assuring the institution’s readiness to collaborate with the state government, Olapade said that the organization has plans in the offing to decorate members of the House as special marshals.

    In his reaction, the Speaker said the House appreciates the good job done by the men of FRSC.

    He however stated that effort must be made to curtail the activities of bad eggs in the organisation that extort money from motorists.

    “You should monitor the activities of your men, there are roads that can’t be categorised as either federal or state road some of your men do go to extort money from motorists,” Obasa said.

    Obasa also urged the institution to intensify effort on campaigns, adding that there was need to

  • NACA adopt measures to check AIDS

    NACA adopt measures to check AIDS

    The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has pledged the readiness of the Federal Government to adopt stringent measures in order to check the spread of the disease in every part of the country.

    Director General of the Agency, Prof Tom Idoko gave the assurance when he flagged of a medical outreach in Edor and Ikom Town in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    He noted that the priority attention accorded to other prevalent deadly diseases in recent times has resulted in accelerate spread of AIDS which hitherto was under control in the country.

    The Director General who was represented by Dr Miriam Ezekwe, in the company of the Ikom Council Public Health Coordinator, Mrs Mary Ogar, lauded stakeholders for their commitment toward the target and sued for synergy amongst government for coordinated efforts.

    The Ikom Local Government Area Chairman, Pastor Ayimba Ayimba expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the choice of Ikom for the programme and assured of maximum cooperation for the expansion of the event around the entire local government area which is a border town.

    The Paramount Ruler of Ikom, His Royal Majesty Ntol Dr Emang Peter Eku noted with delight the renewed zeal diredted to combat the spread of the dreaded disease and other health issues and promised to mobilize the traditional institution to join the campaign.

  • HIV&AIDS: Infected Nigerians raise voice against new payment regime

    HIV&AIDS: Infected Nigerians raise voice against new payment regime

    Working with the theme ‘Getting to Zero,’ the world penultimate week commemorated this year’s World  AIDS Day with a lot of fanfare. The weeklong event however leaves a sour taste in the mouth of people living with the virus in Nigeria, as they continue to battle the newly introduced charges. Gboyega Alaka x-rays the situation.

    No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.” – George Jean Nathan

    The above quote by the late George Jean Nathan, one-time leading American critic and publisher, best describes Tina Nnamdi (not real name), a Nigerian HIV positive patient’s recent resolve to go haywire and grant as many men as ask her for sex, free express sex without recourse to condom. Put more directly, Tina has resolved to spread the deadly virus in her bloodstream to as many men as make overtures to her, and her reason is frustration; basic animal frustration. Tina can no longer access her regular dosage of anti-retroviral drugs (ARV), with which she keeps the virus at bay, and by implication she is staring death in the face. Her frustration has grown increasingly since October 2014, when the Nigerian health authorities unilaterally took the damning decision to compel HIV positive patients to pay a certain amount of money for their regular bi-annual tests, known among patients as ‘bleeding’.

    Patients say the test is crucial to accessing the drugs, which they admit are still free, but conditioned upon paying for and first going through the test. Tina’s situation is further aggravated by the fact that she has no helper – no husband, no job, and she literally survives on society’s benevolence. Meeting up with the compulsory pittance fee of N12,000 a year is therefore an uphill task, the concession that she can pay twice notwithstanding.

    Hers is a typical case of an angry being, desperate to survive, who has lost all sense of clear reasoning. In her angst, she can be likened to a boko haram suicide bomber, willing to take as many people as cross her way down the abyss with her.

    Threat to the Zero target.

    The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day commemoration, which was observed globally, penultimate week, was: Getting to Zero. It was marked with all seriousness and fervour by the relevant government agencies, various networking associations of people living with HIV and civil society organisations in Nigeria. With all intents and purposes, this target may not be an impossible one afterall, considering the level of success recorded against the virus across the world in recent years. The reality of attaining the zero target is further underlined by the declaration by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) last week, that Nigeria has been able to reduce the spread of the virus by up to 35 per cent. Even as many stakeholders have disputed this statistics long before it came out as a deception, the truth is that people like Tina, who probably run into tens of thousands, if not millions, stand as a threat to this target, and to any level of progress being recorded against the spread of the virus.

    For a country sincere and willing to tackle the spread of the virus head-long, many have argued that rather than introduce any kind of fees whatsoever, the government should have endeavoured to get rid of other existing encumbrances in the way of the patients and their drugs. For years, most HIV-positive patients accessed the ARV drugs free of any kind of charge, and this was responsible for stemming the astronomical rise in the number of infections and a seeming demystification of the virus, as it seems to have taken off its toga of a death sentence in the eye of the people.

    Grimmer than NACA

    In July 2015, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) declared in a report that the global spread of HIV/AIDS has reduced. The report coincided with the organisation’s Nigerian Country Director, Bilali Camara’s statement that Nigeria is amongst the countries that have been able to reverse their HIV trend. Exactly a year before, the organisation had painted a grim picture of the state of affairs in the country, sending jitters through the spine. That report presented Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda as the countries with the highest rate of infection/spread in sub-Saharan Africa, with cumulative growth rate put at about 48%. That report also showed Nigeria as the country with the highest HIV/AIDS mortality rate, as well as the country with the unenviable burden of one third of all new infections amongst children in the 20 worst hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

    While it may also appear that Nigeria does not lead from the rear, since South Africa is the unwilling occupant of that unenviable saddle, with a whopping 12.2% portion of its population to Nigeria’s 3.2 percent, the huge difference in population strength (S.A is 52.98 million, while Nigeria is over 170 million), means that Nigeria and not South Africa, has more to worry about.

    The big question activist, Steve Borishade therefore asked in his essay, ‘A Tale Of Anguish: The True Story Of The HIV/AIDS Situation In Nigeria’ is, “what measures (that) were put in place that could and had ensured that Nigeria is able to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS in just one year like Bilali asserted? And when Nigerian officials go to town claiming that the country has met some MDG goals, especially pointing at successes in HIV/AIDS, should we not ask how and what those are?”

    If the country recorded marginal success when all People Living with HIV/AIDs (PLWHAs) had access to free treatment in all government facilities in the country, does it not then defeat logic that it would record significant success in just one year after fees were introduced?

    Evelyn, one of the attendants at a press conference organised by the Lagos Network Forum on HIV And AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to intimate the public about the predicament of people living with HIV said the whole 35% reduction success rate being bandied is a ploy to douse the noise the networks have been making and make mincemeat of their complaints.

    Others have also argued that it is to justify the huge funds and investment that the government have expended on the project till date.

    A long way to go

    Fred Adegboye, a journalist with The Nation newspaper, argued that as insignificant as the amount being charged may seem, the reality is that many of the people living with HIV are not able to afford the fees. “In my centre at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, they say the drugs remain free, but we have to pay N6,000 for each chemistry test before we get them. We do two chemistry tests per year, so the fee amounts to N12,000; but the reality is that many people cannot afford it and that is our agitation. To make matters worse, some people always have to travel long distance to access their drugs, because they fear that they could be stigmatised if they chose a dispensing centre near their homes. So we have lots of people who travel from Lagos to University College Hospital UCH, Ibadan, where I access my drugs on a regular basis to collect their drugs; and by the time you add their transport fare to it, you find that it becomes way too high for most of us. I for one can afford it because I have a job, but many do not have a job and rely on goodwill of people around them, which is not guaranteed. In fact the last time I went for my bleeding, even I could not afford the N6,000 but I went anyway and gave them the N5,000 that I had on me. To tell the truth, I was ready to raise all hell should they reject it, but thankfully they collected it. So, if I who has a job could run into such difficulty, then you may begin to understand the problem other people are facing.

    Azeez Aladeyelu, an HIV/AIDS activist, state co-ordinator of CISHAN (Civil Society Consultative Network on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN) said although the authorities have explained that the fees is a running cost, he said the networks have been protesting the decision, going as far as South Africa to embarrass the then health minister last year, in order to force the government to rescind the decision. He said the donor agencies are still supplying the drugs and have only pulled out partly in the area of funding of running costs, and wondered why the Nigerian government cannot shoulder that responsibility for her people. He said those having problems accessing their drugs should endeavour to reach-out to their support groups, so they could know their problems and how to help them.

    He carpeted a situation whereby the private sector is standing aloof, while things are going wrong, forgetting that when the population is depleted the labour force that it depends on will also be affected. “Even if these corporations pull their meagre donations together or commit a part of their CSR budget to the service of our people, it would go a long way. But if you approach them, their excuses have always been ‘we have our workplace policy; we can only attend to people in our organization.’ They may even tell you that you should have approached them before and that they have mapped out their spending for the year. Meanwhile, when Ebola came, nobody prepared for it yet, we saw how everybody, the government and private sectors, pulled their resources together. Nobody made excuses.”

    Aladeyelu however said the network has resolved to continue crying out about their predicament until somebody listens. He also expressed optimism that the new government would be a listening one that would help ameliorate their problem.

    A spurning government

    One of the panellists at the press conference and a representative of NEPHWAN said it is amazing that the government is no longer serious about HIV/AIDS issues, suggesting that the networks look the way of the private organizations. He said NEPHWAN has taken it upon itself to encourage strict adherence to the drug, adding that sometimes, the organization goes as far as raising money for those who cannot afford the charges. He said the organization and other networks are not relenting in their efforts to draw attention to their situation and that they’ve organised rallies and demonstrations at major city centres and offices to draw government and public attention to the new problem. He said it is just unfortunate that the government doesn’t seem to want to hear anything about HIV/AIDS anymore.

    He said, “There was a place we went to last year to create awareness on the newly introduced fee; but while we were at it, somebody from the government office came out and started shouting us down and asking, ‘Is HIV the only disease we have in the country? What about tuberculosis? What about malaria? Why are they not coming out to make so much noise?’ She said there are thousands of people who suffer from cancer and who are not making as much noise as we’re making. But we replied her that that may be because they don’t have organisations articulating and channelling their case like ours. Now that we have come out, we need help, please help us.”

    He said former President Obasanjo helped people living with HIV/AIDS by providing free treatment for them, but the current situation spells danger as the country may be retrogressing to the pre-Obasanjo years.

    Evelyn said it is a shame that Nigeria still records high rate of infection and AIDS-related deaths. Citing how Kenya was able to turn around a precarious situation, she said it is a sign of unseriousness on the part of the nation’s policymakers. “The authorities there realised that the infection rate was rising because their men were not using condoms at brothels, so they made a law that any man who goes to a brothel and refuses to use a condom should be penalised. From that moment, they started adhering to the new rule and the rate dropped from 12% to 4%.

    Victoria Mba also echoed the efforts being put in to impress on the government to take off the new charges and said there has been no positive response yet.  But when asked if indeed casualties are being recorded in the case of people who are not able to afford the charges and access the drugs, she said, “Though we have always had AIDS-related deaths, we have not been able to gather information to that effect in Lagos, although we hear of such cases outside Lagos.

     

  • World AIDS Day: As funds trickle down

    World AIDS Day: As funds trickle down

    As Nigeria joins the rest of the World to observe this year’s World AIDS Day this Tuesday, Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha writes on how about three million Nigerians living with HIV and face a bleak future because the federal government is yet to take ownership of HIV/AIDS funding.

    It is no longer in doubt that major donor countries such as the United States of America (USA) may withdraw funds to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country by next year. This development may also render about 1.4million HIV positive people who are estimated to be in dire need of Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs helpless.

    According to the Director General National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Prof John Idoko while commenting on this year’s preparation his organisation to observe this year’s World AIDS Day (WAD), with the theme:  “Getting to Zero”- Zero new HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination. Zero AIDS Related Deaths, providing antiretroviral treatment for all people living with HIV doesn’t only benefit those already living with HIV, it also dramatically reduces the chance of onwards HIV transmission to others. In a country like Nigeria where there are so many people not on treatment, it is hard to tackle the HIV epidemic. Considerable commitment, funding and resources need to be mobilised to expand access to treatment as a prevention method.

    Nigeria is an enormous country, and so it has a very high number of people living with HIV despite a relatively low HIV prevalence. According to Idoko, the current estimates of people living with HIV in the country is three million, approximately 750, 000 are on treatment, 55 percent (1, 237, 500) of this number are women, 50 percent of HIV positive women possibly have HIV Negative partners approximately 618, 750, and PrEP (ProphylaxyExposure) needs for sero-discordant couple are approximately 618, 750.

    He said the new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation is to test and treat, hence about 2.25 million HIV positive people are expected to be placed on treatment, so total need for Antiretroviral by next year is 2, 868, 750. This is not adding PrEP needs for men sleeping with men (MSM) and other MARPs, which the anti-homosexuality bill has driven into hiding.

    When reading the major statistics all together the situation is stark: Nine percent of all people living with HIV globally are in Nigeria, 14 percent of the global deaths from HIV-related illness are in Nigeria, only 20 percent of people living with HIV are on treatment, and only 27 percent of pregnant women are receiving treatment for PMTCT.

    Self sufficient

    But, Nigeria can afford to cater for its citizens living positively. It is a matter of political will/commitment. Nigeria is not poor. The starting point can be to unlock vast domestic resources than continuing to wait for donors to finance the direct delivery of social services.

    Following the country’s recent 90 percent GDP adjustment, Nigeria is now a solidly middle-income country. With an income per capita of $2,700, it now stands alongside countries like the Philippines and Morocco. Not exactly a rich country per se, but with a GDP of roughly $500 billion, it’s far from an impoverished one in terms of national resources. With donors providing $2 billion a year in aid to Nigeria, this raises the natural question: If Nigeria is significantly wealthier than previously thought, then should we still be expecting large-scale assistance from them?

    Idoko put it more in perspective, “The Government should not feel threatened, but the action should spur the federal government to take up full funding of the treatment, as smaller, less endowed countries were already footing over 50 percent of their treatment bills. We are the largest economy in Africa according to re-basing statistics, there are many other African countries that I can count, like South Africa, Boswana even Benin Republic which are responsible for 50 percent or more of their support, so why should Nigeria be different, this is the way the donor countries are looking at the issue”

    Why are they withdrawing? According to Prof Idoko the economic climate in those countries is also becoming bad; also, the rebasing of the economy highlights that Nigeria is not poor.

    He said, “The looming financial constraints in tackling the epidemic, called for concerted efforts by federal, states and local governments to device new funding approaches, particularly reviewing their tax policies or the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).”

    He added that the country cannot afford to relapse on the successes recorded in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but rather should be sustained, “There has been steady decline in the prevalence from 2001. There has been 54 percent reduction in HIV incidence from 2003 to 2013, just as new HIV infections are decreasing. ART is working in Nigeria. Significant progress in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV has been achieved.”

    Winning the war against AIDS in the country is no rocket science, even in the face of declining donor funding. According to Prof Idoko, pragmatic basic steps can be taken, such as increasing domestic funding to achieve a fully funded AIDS response at all levels, fully operationalise 90-90-90 strategy to eliminate progression to AIDS, premature deaths and HIV transmission, ensure combination prevention for all populations, expand HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT), Antiretroviral treatment (ART) and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission services, pursue a policy of local manufacture of essential commodities (antiretroviral drugs, test kits and condoms) and equally address barriers to access to HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.

    The new WHO treatment guidelines now recommend that all people living with HIV start treatment regardless of CD4 count, which is likely to impact significantly upon the future cost of the global HIV response. This, coupled with the stagnation of donor funding is demanding that interventions embarked on by recipients are cost-effective and efficient. As domestic funding for HIV has now overtaken international assistance, there is greater emphasis on affected countries to implement these types of strategies.

    Should the donations/funding stop, the country cannot stand akimbo, as the African Union’s ‘Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa’ emphasises country ownership, efficiency and sustainable financing of the HIV response. It is one example reflecting increasing political commitment to these principals. Likewise, the ‘Arab Strategic Framework for the Response to HIV and AIDS (2014-2020)’ aims to increase reliance on domestic sources for the HIV response in all Arab countries by 80 percent by 2020.

    The government must be proactive because antiretroviral treatment (ART) provision in the country is extremely low, with only 21 percent of adults living with HIV receiving treatment in 2013, and 12 percent of children. Only 19 percent of women who are living with HIV and breastfeeding are taking ART.

    Although the number of antiretroviral treatment (ART) sites increased between 2012 and 2013, it is still not enough. With only 820 sites in the whole of the country, it is not surprising that people living with HIV are struggling to access clinics where they can get treatment. ART administration is being decentralised from hospitals to primary health centres, and from doctors to nurses and community health workers, although there is still a huge demand for more healthcare professionals.

    Certain weaknesses in the system exist, which means many people who receive a positive HIV diagnosis are not referred for treatment, or not retained in treatment for very long. Even when ART can be accessed, drug supplies are known to run out and lead to stock-outs.

  • Ondo warns PLWHAs against spread of AIDS

    The Ondo State government yesterday warned People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) against the spread of the disease, vowing that anybody caught would be jailed.

    The government said the decision was in line with the HIV’AIDS Anti-stigma law, which prescribed a 10-year jail term, fine of N500, 000 or both for any person who by whatever means transmits HIV/AIDS to another person.

    Explaining details of the law, which was signed last year, the Secretary to the State Government and Chairman, State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OSACA), Dr. Aderotimi Adelola, said the stigmatisation and discrimination discouraged individuals infected with the HIV virus.

    Besides, he said anybody who discriminates against PLWHAs commits an offence and is liable to a fine of N100, 000.00 or imprisonment of six months or both.

    Dr Adelola, who spoke at a sensitisation programme organised by OSACA in Akure, said:  “Most times the rights of PLWHAs are violated, causing them to suffer both the burden of the disease and the consequential loss of other rights.

    “Stigmatisation and discrimination may obstruct their access to treatment and affect their employment, housing and other rights.”

    Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade said Ondo is the first state to have a law which addresses many aspects of HIV/AIDS.

    He said the law would help reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS transmission.

  • Life expectancy

    Life expectancy

    •Although this is said to be improving in Nigeria, it is still not good enough

    Despite the stressful lifestyle most Nigerians go through daily, it is surprising that life expectancy has reportedly improved in the country by eight years. Hitherto, the country’s life expectancy since 1990 has been 46 years. But the 2014 report of World Health Statistics (WHS) that has just been released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that the nation’s life expectancy is now 54. This is however still an appalling improvement considering the enormity of resources at the nation’s disposal that could have been deployed to improve medical standards and healthy habits necessary to prolong human life span.

    Life expectancy is crucial to national development and growth, being the number of years lived in good health by citizens. By this latest report, when a citizen dies at any point before 54 years in Nigeria, such death is considered as premature. This is why the ratio of occurred deaths below this age should not be higher, otherwise, Nigeria would be deemed to be relapsing in life expectancy. We know that death is inevitable but we are aware that medical science has proved that human life span can be prolonged through quality lifestyle and affordable medical care necessary to reduce the risk of early death.

    We doubt whether the prevailing harsh economic realities staring Nigerians in the face provide the congenial atmosphere necessary for healthy living. The pathetic state of most teaching hospitals and primary healthcare centres compounds the health woes of Nigerians. The  government’s commitment to health services and treatments, despite the huge budgetary investment in health, is suspect. For this reason, most preventable diseases have degenerated in most Nigerians, leading unfortunately, to their untimely deaths.

    Also, most avoidable health challenges, including malaria, tuberculosis and heart diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, diarrhoeal and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), among others, as depicted in the report, are rampant in the land. They have become major sources of most premature deaths of recent. And when this is juxtaposed with government’s insufficient efforts in the health sector, it is curious to note that WHO could adduce a report projecting the country as improving in her life expectancy. Yet, we are aware that WHS, published since 2005 by WHO, so far, remains a reliable global source of information on peoples health in 194 countries.

    Particularly heart-warming is the revelation that Nigerian women still live longer than men in spite of the rampancy of child birth deaths, among others. But this should not detract from the fact that we still need to do more; partly by citizens – by embracing a healthy lifestyle and; largely by governments – through the provision of better and affordable medical care facilities in the country. It is sad to note that Liberia, Ethiopia and Rwanda are doing far better than Nigeria in this regard. How can these two African countries that are still recuperating from the ruins of war be recorded as having better life expectancy than Nigeria? Something fundamental is definitely wrong somewhere!

    All said, life expectancy of 54 years is an improvement though, but it is something that is too shameful to be celebrated by a country that professes to be the ‘giant of Africa’. If the average life expectancy of citizens in some other  countries with less resources than Nigeria is 80, with Japan, an Asian country topping global life expectancy record with 87 years, nothing stops Nigeria from reaching a considerable life expectancy height in the nearest future, with proper health/medical planning and purposeful direction.

     

  • Labour, others to tackle HIV, AIDS pandemic

    Labour, others to tackle HIV, AIDS pandemic

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Canadian Labour Congress, International Confederation of Trade Union/Africa, and the Federal Government have signed an agreement to reduce the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the workplace.

    He trade deal, a recommendation 200 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has a tripartite process for determining the scope and terms of reference of the national assessment, would support framework for complying with the only global standard on HIV and AIDS in the workplace.

    Addressing newsmen on the importance of the agreement to trade unions in Nigeria, Acting General Secretary, NLC, Comrade Chris Uyot, welcomed it, saying it is one that could have lasting impact on the lives of Nigerian workers and their families.

    He said: “Discussions are now underway with funding agencies to support the initiative, which will identify gaps in making the country’s workplaces stronger instruments of change for addressing the pandemic through joint union/employer actions”.

    According to Uyot, the Ministry of Labour and Productivity will drive the tripartite process with the involvement of the Federal Ministry of Health with support from the ILO, ILOAIDS and UNAIDS.

    “Employers will be represented by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigerian Business Coalition against AIDS (NIBUCA). The process was also welcomed by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

    “R200 promotes inclusive dialogue between the three Nigerian players and deals also with the underpinnings of HIV and AIDS, including human rights, stigma and discrimination, inequality and gender issues,” he said.

  • Why young people are excluded from AIDS response

    How does the Federal Government policy affect adolescent and young people in their perception of HIV/ AIDS? A survey conducted by Population Council (PC) has shown that the adolescents and young people have been neglected in HIV and AIDS response. At a media-research advocacy exchange programme in Lagos, Country Director, Population Council, Dr Babatunde Ahonsi decried the country’s neglect of the adolescent and young people from national response to HIV and AIDS. He said the government’s HIV/AIDS programme was not young people friendly because they were not being carried along. “The way adolescent and young people responded to issues of HIV and AIDS was different from that of adults, as such the programme should ensure they are carried along,” he added. Ahonsi said HIV and AIDS cannot be tackled without first addressing the challenges of young people. He called for a more inclusive HIV/AIDS programme for young people. Ahonsi said his organisation has been conducting research across the world to improve policies, programmes and products in HIV and AIDS, poverty, gender and youth, and reproductive health. “We conduct research every two years on the subject,” he added.

  • UNILAG holds anti-AIDS rally

    UNILAG holds anti-AIDS rally

    The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has joined the rest of the world to mark the 2013 World AIDS Day.

    The university management in collaboration with Anti–Aids Club under the UNILAG Counselling unit and the Medical Centre held an awareness rally to sensitise the public on prevention of HIV/AIDS and encouraging the public to embrace abstinence and stop discrimination of infected persons.

    The rally, which started from the Senate Building, was attended by the principal officers, including the Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahmon Bello, Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA) Prof Kayode Amund, the Counsellor, Mrs Aderonke Asiwaju, Director of UNILAG Medical Centre Dr R. Apampa.

    Prof Bello stressed the need for everyone to be involved in disseminating information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and showing care to those living with the scourge. He praised the organisers for the campaign.

    Dr Ampampa said abstinence from sex remains the best preventive measure against HIV/AIDS, urging young people to abstain from active sexual life.

    The President of Anti – Aids Club, UNILAG, Eric Obi Uzuoma, a 400-Level Philosophy student, urged fellow students to follow the preventive principle, which he described as abstinence, being faithful to one’s partner and the use of condoms. He called on participants to join the global fight against the epidemic.

    The rally ended at the Multipurpose Hall of the institution where participants converged for a brief lecture and refreshment.

    “The theme of this year’s celebration is Getting to zero and it is hoped that everyone will stand towards getting HIV/AIDS to zero,” one of the organisers told CAMPUSLIFE.