Akwa Ibom’s AKSACA wants the law against HIV stigma to be domesticated

The anti-discrimination and stigmatisation bill was passed by the state house of assembly, and the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS (AKSACA) has requested Governor Umo Eno to sign it.

AKSACA’s manager, Dr. Enobong Akpan, made the call at an HIV/AIDS awareness programme in Uyo with the theme “Arise against HIV/AIDS” in honour of the 36th anniversary of the state. He added that the organisation would make sure stigma against those who are HIV-positive is eliminated in the state.

Since the anti-stigma law is in line with Governor Eno’s “ARISE agenda” for providing high-quality healthcare, he expressed the expectation that the governor would sign it.

The worst type of denial, according to Akpan, is self-stigmatization, thus he also urged persons with HIV/AIDS to avoid it in all forms.

“With renewed vigour and passion, we will sound high the message that HIV is never a death sentence and that we are going to fight against every form of stigmatisation or discrimination,” he declared. To ensure that any group or institution proven to have stigmatised an HIV-positive individual will face consequences, we will pursue all required legal measures, including the anti-stigma law.

The goal of our affable governor’s ARISE programme is for all HIV-related morbidities to become extinct.

However, Akpan regretted that the state had a high HIV prevalence rate and insisted that the number was over 240,000.

As long as antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is available at secondary health facilities and health centres in the state, is used to treat HIV, he insisted that the disease does not carry a death sentence.

Women are experiencing a high prevalence of HIV, according to Dr. Edith Mathias, who provided an overview of the situation in Akwa Ibom and advocated for greater awareness.

She cited data from the National Demographic Health Survey, or NDHSof 2018, which showed that women were more likely than men to report experiencing stigma, at 61 percent vs 38% for men.

Additionally, Gideon Solomon of the Heartland Alliance, one of the implementing partners, exhorted the populace to continually be aware of their status, obtain their HIV personal test kits, and take their meds if they test positive for the virus, or to faithfully adhere to the preventative measures if they test negative.