5 October 2008
Lagos — Wife of Bauchi State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Yuguda, has called on all agencies responsible for HIV and AIDS matters to ensure that pregnant women have access to preventive measures.
She said pregnant women should have access to the prevention of mother to child transmission ante-natal services.
Yuguda, who made the call at the launch of the Bauchi State Chapter of the National Women Coalition on AIDS (NAWOCA) yesterday in Bauchi, said new born babies deserved the right to a HIV-free life.
"Mothers must be spared the agony of passing this deadly virus to their infants. New born babies reserve the right to a HIV-free existence.
"Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) ante-natal services must be made available to every pregnant woman in Bauchi State," she said.
She said the scourge remained a major cause of maternal and infant mortality in poor countries with 1,700 children being infected by the virus daily, while 90 per cent of the children were infected through their mothers.
The governor's wife called on traditional and religious leaders, government and non governmental organisations, teachers, market women and other stakeholders to take the campaign against the virus to the grassroots.
In a message sent to the ceremony, Governor Isa Yuguda urged women to be committed to the fight against the virus, adding women were the most vulnerable group.
Yuguda, who was represented by the state Head of Service, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said government had embarked on programmes and projects aimed at ensuring good health care delivery to the people.
The governor, who said the launch of NAWOCA in the state marked a milestone in the fight against HIV and AIDS, called for a collective responsibility in the fight against the virus.
In a paper she presented on the role of Women on the control of HIV and AIDS, Hajiya Maimuna Mohammed, the Director of Inter-Governmental Affairs of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Abuja, listed various ways the virus could be contacted.
She said women were the worst hit and urged them to take measures aimed at preventing it.
Mohammed said investigation had shown that most infected pregnant women never knew of their status until during birth, a situation she said, worsened the spread of the virus.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were drama, dances and presentation by children to depict the dangers and preventive measures against the spread of the virus.
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