Lagos: 9,253 people tested positive to HIV in 1year

Posted by admin Headlines, Lagos, State News Thursday, May 19th, 2011

THE Lagos State Commissioner for Healh, Dr Jide Idris, has said at least 9,253 people, about 8.9 per cent of the population in the state, tested positive to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the last one year.

He also said the three most prevalent diseases managed in the 7,211 patients attended to during the period under reference were malaria, 30 per cent; hypertension, 26 per cent and upper respiratory tract infections, 10 per cent.

Speaking on Wednesday at the ministerial briefing on the activities of his ministry in the last one year, Idris, who said HIV/AIDS remained a disease of public health significance, added that the ministry/Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, in collaboration with development partners, during the period under review, counselled and tested 104,344 patients of which 9,253 tested positive.

He said the state government provided free anti-retroviral treatment for 2,905 newly enrolled patients, placed 575 HIV positive pregnant women on free anti-retroviral therapy, as well as distributed 84,472 supplementary HIV test kits to health facilities.

According to Idris, the ministry, during the year, continued to appraise and execute the programmes with the primary objectives of preventing, early detection and treatment of diseases with public health significance such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis/leprosy, Avian Influenza and preventable blindness.

On the free health scheme, the commissioner said the free health policy of the state, predicated on the need to provide some form of security in terms of financial access for the indigent and vulnerable persons, was sustained by the administration to offer succour and hope.

Under the scheme, he said a total of 5,942 public servants and 517 others benefited, while free health service reimbursements stood at 208 and sponsorship for overseas medical treatment was 207.

-Tribunewp_posts