From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Society for Family Health (SFH) through the Lafiyan Yara Project, has tested about 440, 272 persons in eight local government areas of Taraba in a sustained effort to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state, an official has said.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the end of the four years program which started 2019, the state program manager of SFH Dr Aisha Dadi explained that out of the number, about 1,081 were identified as HIV positive out of which about 1,020 were linked to treatment showing about 94 percent linkage rate.
“The project recorded a total number of 142 PLHIV who were newly started on ART within the last quarter of the project phase. The implementation ensured that all pregnant women on ANC got tested and positive mothers enrolled for PMTCT which increased maternal and child survival as the project recorded 99.7 percent achievement in the live births by HIV positive mothers.
“The total number of children and pregnant women who are currently on treatment showed a marginal drop of 14 percent and 21 percent respectively, from the total number (357 and 639 respectively) that were initially linked to treatment”, she said.
Dr. Dadi further explained that in the LGAs of implementation, pregnant women, and children in Karim-Lamido are making huge progress in viral suppression rate (74 percent) followed by Gashaka and Bali LGAs with 55 percent and 51 percent viral suppression rates respectively.
Similarly, the manager said that progress in the rate of viral load suppression is much slower in Zing LGA with six percent followed by Gassol and Jalingo with 22 percent and 29 percent viral suppression rates respectively.
She explained that the Lafiyan Yara (wellbeing of children) was a proof of concept project funded by Aidsfond (2019-2022) through Society for Family Health (SFH) and the Institute of Public Health of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ice.
“It adopted an implementation science approach aimed at exploring the use existing community structures such as Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA), Village Health Workers (VHWs) and the Proprietary Patient Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) to promote rapid identification and linkage of Children, Adolescent and Pregnant Women to access HIV testing, prevention, treatment, care and support services in health facilities across eight LGAs in Taraba”, she said.
She disclosed that the project was implemented in collaboration with the state ministry of health and the Taraba State AIDS Control Agency (SACA) since 2019 under the auspices of the National Steering Committee.
In his remarks at the event, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Innocent Vakkai commended the partners who collaborated in facilitating the exercise in the state.
He assured of the state government’s continues support to agencies in order to improve the health care delivery system of the state.
The Galadima of Muri Alhaji Tukur Abba-Tukur commended the program implementation agencies especially, SFH, for the level of awareness created among the people of the eight LGAs that benefited from the program.
Tukur who is also the Chairman of State Social Mobilisation Committee for health activities, assured of a sustained enlightenment campaign and mobilisation of communities to support such activities at all times.