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<\/a><\/p>\n3 December 2011<\/p>\n
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As the world marks the 2011 world AIDS day, Wife of the Rivers State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi has advised women to take advantage of the Health Centres provided by the Rivers State Government and access free and quality healthcare treatments to facilitate the elimination of new HIV infections.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Amaechi stated this when the state marked the 2011 World AIDS day at Ngo Town, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday with the theme: Zero new HIV infections, with focus on eliminating mother to child transmission.<\/p>\n
She lamented that the state was in a severe epidemic and all efforts must be put to work to save the people from HIV\/AIDS especially by curbing its transmission through childbirth.<\/p>\n
“I am informed that Rivers State is the 10th most impacted state in the country with HIV prevalence of 6.0 per cent. Even more disturbing is the rural prevalence of 4.8 per cent in the state which is higher than the national prevalence of 4.0 per cent. This shows that the state is in severe and generalised epidemic and no effort must be spared to save our people.<\/p>\n
“Perhaps, the most unfortunate impact of this virus is that it has also chosen to attack mankind through child birth which is the means by which the population is propagated. It is noteworthy that 90 per cent of all childhood HIV infections are acquired through Mother to Child. The global community and Nigeria have made a wise decision to focus on elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV by the year 2015,” she said.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Amaechi noted that failure of most pregnant women to go for antenatal care has contributed to the rise in mother to child HIV transmissions.<\/p>\n
“One of the major problems affecting the delivery of mother to child transmission service is that nearly 50 per cent of pregnant women do not go for ante-natal care, and even among those who attend, only about 30 per cent go back to the hospital for delivery. The cultural practices of home delivery, patronage of faith houses and quacks for antenatal and delivery care is still being practised. This must be discouraged.”<\/p>\n
She urged men, particularly in the coastal areas to encourage and escort their pregnant wives to the health centres for antenatal and to go for HIV screening, while persuading those living with the infection to get the free anti-retroviral drugs provided.<\/p>\n
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