Leadership (Abuja)
Umar Sa'id, Bauchi
6 October 2008
Bauchi — No fewer than 156,000 people are infected with the deadly HIV/AIDS disease in Bauchi State.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary and Chairman, Bauchi Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis/Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA), Dr Rilwanu Muhammad, during the launching of the state chapter of the National Women Coalition on AIDS (NAWOCA), held at the Multi- Purpose Hall Bauchi.
He said that out of the total, only about 18,000 people had been counselled while about 8,568 are on treatment, adding that the idea of NAWOCA was to strenghten the gender component of the national strategic framework for action and to serve as a unified advocacy platform for addressing women and girls vulnerability.
He stated that the launching of the state was as a manesfestation of political commitment Governor Isa Yuguda and Hajiya Aisha Isa Yuguda.
He pointed out that the approach of NAWOCA in the state was to advocate for improved acess to information and education on prevention of HIV infection, advocate for improved HIV treatment, care for and economically, empower women particullarly the infected or affected with the disease.
In her speech, the first lady, said that the best way to fight against HIV/AIDS was to reduce to the bearest minimum, incidences of infection, so that we can manage its devastating effects.
She added that AIDS remains a major cause of maternal/infant mortality in poor countries where about 1700 children are infected everyday the world over with most of them coming from Africa.
She then charged members of the state chapter of NAWOCA to work assidously to achieve the objectives of the coalition, considering that 90 per cent of the affected children are infected by their mothers during pregnancy, labour or breast feeding.
In his speech, the governor, represented by the Head of Service, said he was impressed with the decline on the rate of the infected people in the state and reiterated that the determination of his administration was to reduce the killer disease to the bearest minimum.
He pointed out the fight against the killer disease was a collective responsibility hence the need for everyone to contribute their quota.
He stated that the state government delibrately decided to decentralised the health agencies in the state in an attempt to improve the healthcare delivery system in the state.
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