Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has charged all and sundry in the state to get themselves tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, (HIV), in order to know their status to prevent being infected or spreading the disease.
Ortom stated this while speaking at the official launch of Antiretroviral Theray Surge Response and Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U), in Markurdi on Thursday.
He advised the people not be afraid to go for testing just as he warned against stigmatisation and discrimination against those infected by the virus.
“I have lost some of my friends because they were afraid that they will be stigmatized if they come out. It is better to know your status because prevention is better than cure”, Ortom said.
Ortom expressed happiness at the intervention which is targeted at controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic in the state saying it will not only have positive impacts on the lives of the people but will also add value to poverty reduction in the state.
Gov. Ortom who commended implementing partners in the HIV/AIDS pandemic stated that the Eunice Spring of Life Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation founded by his wife, Mrs. Eunice Ortom, has been complementing the efforts of government in the control and care for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
The Governor pledged his administration’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for meaningful interventions against the spread of the virus through provision of test kits, training of service providers, awareness creation as well as ensuring that all services are free of charge.
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He commended all stakeholders including US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, United States Centre for Disease Control, (CDC), APIN Public Health Initiatives and other implementing partners for their sacrifices and goodwill towards the control of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state.
The US Deputy Chief of Mission and Acting Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Kathleen Fitzgibbon said the aim of the programme is to bring the epidemic under control in the next two years through suppression of the viral load in infected persons and testing to identify those infected for proper action.
She stated that their commitment to Benue was born out of genuine partnership and called on all stakeholders to support the Ortom led government for a success story in the state.
Wife of the Benue State Governor, Dr. Eunice Ortom, acknowledged the efforts of the Benue State Government towards scaling down the spread of HIV AIDS, even as she pledged continued support through her NGO, Eunice Spring of Life Foundation, to further reduce the spread of the epidemic.
Representative of the Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Gambo Aliyu said out of the 190,000 persons infected with HIV, 150,000 are on medication with 40,000 yet to access treatment.
Highlight of the event was the crowning of the First Lady, Mrs. Eunice Ortom as the Benue Anti Retro Viral Therapy Surge Ambassador among others.
