KNOW YOUR HIV STATUS, HEALTH COMMISSIONER ADVISES

Ondo state commissioner for health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju has called on the populace to always go for HIV screening to be able to ascertain their status. Adeyanju made this known in an interview on Monday saying HIV/AIDS should not be taken for granted.

He said the state government is doing everything possible to ensure that those that are living with the disease is living with it positively while those that are negative are been sensitized to abstain from what could lead to being infected.

The commissioner said government is giving support to those who are positive and also counselling those who are negative though numerous sensitization programs of the state government.

“And then we have machines that can detect the level of the retro-viral.  Also the state government is still continuing to do a lot of advocacy and sensitization programs. There is the mobile outreach  vehicle to be able to reach out  to screen pregnant women.

“You know HIV/AIDS tends to afflict more women and when our women are afflicted, the family suffers” he stated.

He said the state is ensuring that is free of HIV/AIDS and remain at zero level as it did not entertain infection.

According to him, “the trend has been interesting because in 2001, it is 6.8%, it rose again at some level of 4.2% it is again dropping to about 3.2%, so the state is not resting on its oars until it rid it of HIV/AIDS” he added.

He therefore called on the people of the state  to know their status adding that whoever is positive will know how to go about it and who is negative should abstain from what could bring it about and when married must be faithful to their spouses.