The United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF)
said it has expended about two hundred million naira (N200, 000, 000) in its
effort towards addressing cases of HIV/AIDs among adolescents in Kaduna State.
The officer in-charge of
UNICEF Field Office, Kaduna, Dr Idris Baba, who disclosed this also informed
that the organisation has equally scaled up support to tackle high HIV
prevalence among adolescents in seven local government areas of Kaduna State.
The UNICEF in-charge of
Kaduna Field Office made the disclosure in Zaria at a forum with media
executives in the state, adding that “HIV in adolescents remains a big concern;
seven LGAs have higher prevalence of HIV among adolescents in the state.’’
According to him, only seven
per cent of the adolescents surveyed at the beginning of the intervention
programme in March had tested and received their HIV result.
He explained that the support
being offered by UNICEF was on HIV prevention, treatment and care in the seven
local areas.
The official disclosed that
UNICEF had budgeted about N200 million and spent about same to run the
Adolescent and Young Persons (AYP) programme in Chikun, Igabi, Lere, Kagarko,
Birnin Gwari, Jaba and Jema’a local government areas of the state.
He noted that in spite of the
decrease in new HIV infections in the areas due to improved access to
information, the rate of death among infected adolescents remain high.
Dr Baba therefore called on
all and sundry to avail themselves to HIV testing to know status.
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