NAN-HG-4
Programmes
Abuja, July 7, 2017 (NAN) Association for Positive Youths in Nigeria (APYIN),
an NGO, has urged Federal Government to establish behavioural change
programmes for adolescents and youth living with HIV/AIDS to guide them
in making positive decisions.
Coordinator of the association, Isah mohammed, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Mohammed said establishing behavioural change programmes for adolescents and youths living with the condition was the only way the HIV viral level could be suppressed and new infections prevented.
He added that “adolescents and young people between the age range of 15 and
24; 25 and 45 are sexually active and sex accounts for 80 per cent of HIV
transmission.
“Although the awareness level on HIV is high, there is need for behavioural change among youths to help change high risk behaviours.
“It is one thing to be aware and another to do the right thing; we want to see behavioural change inculcated among our adolescents so that they will be more committed in fighting the scourge.”
According to him, most facilities have high number of adolescents with new infections and high viral load which is predominantly due to behavioural problems.
The coordinator said “most facilities experience a lot of positive adolescents and you see a 13-year-old being placed on treatment that 30-year-old did not survive on.
“More than 10 per cent of adolescents in some facilities are on second line treatment, which means the first treatment option has failed and they have to be placed on second treatment option.
“This second treatment option is a higher dose of the treatment with bigger pills, less comfortable to take and Nigeria presently cannot afford the third treatment option, hence the need for government intervention.”
Mohammed added that some of behavioural issues that often interfere with the first line treatment result to them forgetting to take their medications on time or deliberate refusal to take them.
He, therefore, urged Federal Government to be more committed in funding to
fight the scourge and to establish behavioural programmes across the federation.
“We call on government to take ownership of the HIV response in Nigeria because global fund cannot do it all.
“Global fund have their priorities and programmes planned out and behavior change among adolescents living with HIV is not one of their priorities,’’ he added. (NAN) TIM/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu