As part of activities marking the world AIDS week , the Abia State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ABSACA) in collaboration with Vicar Hope Foundation, embarked on a road walk on the streets of Umuahia to get Abians sensitized on the prevalence of the HIV scourge.
They were joined in the walk, which featured road shows, by the Ministries of Youths and Sports; Health; Civil Society Group, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Primary Health as well as other partners.
Speaking after the event, the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu represented by Lady Kate noted that the menace of HIVAIDS is enormous and must be fought with every sense of seriousness. She recalled that between the time of discovery of the disease in the 1980s and now a lot of campaigns have been made to sensitise people on the scourge of the virus.
She called on all Abians to sustain the sensitisation until HIV/AIDS is drastically eradicated in Abia State, Nigeria and the globe at large.
Addressing the gathering, the Project Manager/Executive Secretary, ABSACA Dr .Ajike Eme Kalu disclosed that ABSACA was working to record a zero no new infection adding that they were at the last mile of the target.
He thanked their partners including the Commissioners for Health, Youths and Sports, the management of Federal Medical Center, Umuahia for their efforts in the fight against HIVAIDS.
Dr. Eme Kalu reiterated his earlier stance that the only way to get rid of the disease was for everyone to know his HIV status maintaining that the test is free everywhere.
He further added that they were coming to a time when an HIV carried would not transmit the virus to a loved one.
Other speakers at the event including representatives of Abia Youths, Civil Society Group, Primary Health and NDLEA, revealed that the war against HIV/AIDS should be fought with vigour and would be continued until it is won. They informed that the HIV/AIDS walk would be stepped down to the 17 Local Government Areas in the State by next week.
On his part, the representative of the NDLEA who said there is always a relationship between hard drugs and HIVAIDS because the moment hard drug is taken, the body always reacts negatively, advised young people against the abuse of hard drugs which he said have a lot of dangerous consequences.
