By Princess Don, Uyo
In a renewed effort to combat the spread of HIV and strengthen public health awareness, the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS (AKSACA) has flagged off a Faith-Based HIV Awareness and Prevention Outreach aimed at increasing testing, treatment, and prevention services within religious communities across the state.
The campaign, held at the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Uyo Parish office Wilmington Bassey way, Uyo marks the beginning of a state-wide sensitization effort under the health sector emergency declared by Governor Pastor Umo Eno, focusing on HIV prevention, particularly among women, youth, and faith-based groups.
Speaking at the flag-off, the Executive Secretary and Program Manager of AKSACA, Dr. Enobong Akpan, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to aligning with the governor’s health emergency declaration. He emphasized that HIV awareness had declined in recent years, creating a dangerous misconception that the disease no longer exists.
According to Dr. Akpan “We observed that at some point, the message on HIV was gradually fading. Many even thought HIV had vanished, we are bringing the message back that HIV is still with us, and while it is no longer a death sentence, new infections must be prevented through awareness and responsible behavior.”
Dr. Akpan revealed that Akwa Ibom still ranks among the states with the highest HIV prevalence in Nigeria, with a rate of 5.5% according to the 2018 survey, and nearly 200,000 residents currently on treatment.
He added that infection rates are particularly high among youths aged 15 to 49 years, stressing the need for proactive community and faith-based sensitization.
“We want to ensure that Akwa Ibom moves close to zero transmission, especially from pregnant mothers to unborn babies, in the past six months alone, 60 HIV-positive mothers have given birth to HIV-positive babies. That is not a statistic we can tolerate.” he noted
Also speaking, Mrs. Emem Xavier, the State Ministry of Health’s Focal Person for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT), highlighted that transmission can be completely prevented through early antenatal registration, testing, and treatment.
“Every pregnant woman should avail herself of free HIV services available in all primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities across the state, if a pregnant woman tests positive, she is immediately linked to care and provided with free antiretroviral drugs to protect both herself and her baby.”. She added
She further explained that babies born to HIV-positive mothers must be brought to health facilities within 72 hours for preventive treatment, even if delivered outside hospitals.
She also urged women of reproductive age to take preventive measures, including consistent condom use, adherence to family planning, and regular testing.
The faith-based dimension of the outreach received enthusiastic support from the Christian community. The Chairman of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Bishop Prince Antai, commended AKSACA for involving the church, noting that most Akwa Ibom residents identify as Christians and thus the church remains a crucial platform for reaching sexually active and socially mobile populations.
“If Akwa Ibom is 99.9% Christian, it means most people affected by HIV are within the church, the church is the right place to address the issue and help reduce infections. The outreach is timely, and I fully support it.” the Bishop said
Similarly, Rev. Uwem Daniel Etukakpan, Minister in charge of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Uyo Parish, described the program as a welcome initiative that demonstrates the state government’s concern for public health.
“We are happy that the state government under His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno is prioritizing health and that our church was chosen to host the flag-off, we urge the government to ensure this initiative extends to rural areas where awareness is still very low.” Rev. Etukakpan said
The Faith-Based HIV Awareness and Prevention Outreach is expected to run across all local government areas in Akwa Ibom, targeting churches, mosques, and faith centers to enhance testing, reduce stigma, and promote prevention of new infections, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero new infections and zero mother-to-child transmission in the state.
Pictures description: The Executive Secretary and Program Manager of AKSACA, Dr. Enobong Akpan and the campaign team at the Presbyterian Church Nigeria
