The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Professor John Idoko, announced that about 3.2 million Nigerians are living with the HIV virus but that about 40% of that number are not aware of their status.
He said this at the 2014 NACA/MDG medical outreach & HIV counselling and testing in Kafanchan, Kaduna State yesterday.
Professor Idoko, who was represented by the acting Director of Programmes Co-ordination Department at NACA, Dr. Priscilla Ibekwe, urged Nigerians to go to hospital and know their HIV status.
“NACA is working to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Nigeria to give opportunity to people to know their status, because it is better for people to know their status. When they know their status and find out they are negative, they will do everything to remain negative,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero who was represented by his deputy, Nuhu Audu Bajoga, advised the people of the state to take the issue of HIV/AIDS seriously and mentioned that the 9.2% prevalence rate of HIV in Kaduna is the highest in North West Nigeria.
According to him, the state has received funding support from the World Bank and other development partners like UNICEF, ICAP, DFID, UNDP AIDS Relief, USAID and PATHS 1 and 2 among others to fight the scourge.
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