Dr Stephen John, the Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ADSACA), said the HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state has dropped from 2.5 percent to 1.2 percent.
A statement Thursday by the Information Officer of the agency, Mr Ezekiel Mathias, said that John made this known in an interactive session with some the stakeholders from United State Agency for International Development (USAID), FHI 360, and CBOs.
John said the drop from 2.5 percent in 2014 to 1.2 percent in 2019 was contained in the report of the Nigerian HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey.
John lauded the collaborative effort of key stakeholders in the state, particularly FHI 360, Network of People living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), traditional and religious leaders and other implementing partners.
The executive secretary said there are 50,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the state out of which about 20,000 were not accessing treatment.
“Poor adherence to treatment, poor access of women to HIV/AIDS services and low level of knowledge and awareness are some of the challenges regarding HIV/AIDS control in the state.”
Speaking at the session, a representative of USAID, Mrs Adeneke Adelanwa, said they were in Adamawa for a two-day working visit to interact with healthcare providers and assess facilities.
Adelanwa said USAID would continue supporting the fight against the scourge with the aim to further bring down the prevalence rate.
Also speaking, the State Project Manager of FHI 360, Murtala Umar, lauded the visit and interactive session with USAID representatives which he said would motivate actors to do more in the fight against the scourge in the state.
Umar urged for more commitment from stakeholders to further bring down the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS to zero level in Adamawa.
In another development, the Adamawa branch of NEPWHAN had elected new executives to run its affairs.
Ms Fara James was returned unopposed as the State Coordinator while Mr Gideon Kefas emerged Assistant Coordinator defeating Mr Vincent Haruna.
Also returned unopposed are Dishon Yedibo as Secretary, Liatu Mannassah as Assistant Secretary, Naomi Samuel as Treasurer, and Patrick Pius as Financial Secretary.
Others are Alhaji Abdullahi, PRO 1, Auta Mathias, PRO 2, and Esther Joshua, Welfare Officer. (
