Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), which, they believe, will end the era of “guess work” in terms of burden of HIV disease in Nigeria.
The survey will be conducted by experts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in at least 170, 000 households in Nigeria and will be supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health and National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA).
Government hopes the survey will bequeath NACA and other stakeholders with good and precise knowledge of HIV/AIDS activities in Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who launched the project in Abuja, yesterday, disclosed that foreign donor partners have withdrawn their financial and logistics interventions due to absence of reliable statistical document; as regards the status and spread of the virus in Nigeria.
He asked state governments and all other stakeholders to support the survey so it produce accurate or near accurate data of HIV/AIDS infection and treatment in Nigeria.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the success of the project will wipe off the shame of not having precise record of people living with the virus in Nigeria.