As Oyo State joined the rest of the World to commemorate the 2018 World AIDS Day, the Oyo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OYSACA) has outlined programmes to mark the annual event.
The week-long event is part of efforts of the agency under the wife of the state governor, Chief Mrs Florence Ajimobi to raise the hope of people living with HIV by addressing issues surrounding stigmatization and discrimination.
The event started from Friday, 23rd of November will end on December 1, 2018.
Dr. Kayode Ogunkunle, OYSACA Project Manager, who represented Mrs. Florence Ajimobi at a press briefing to herald the 2018 World AIDS Day held at the agency’s Conference Room, disclosed that the agency has been at the forefront of sensitizing the public, counseling and testing the people for early detection, treatment and other issues associated with the virus with purpose of bringing it to an end in the state.
He stated that in terms of financial commitment and prompt release of fund, Oyo State is ranked second after Lagos State that has been supporting HIV/AIDS campaign in the whole Nigeria.
Dr. Ogunkunle, while briefing journalists on the event outlined for this year’s World AIDS Day, noted that apart from Friday Jumat and Sunday church services scheduled for Central Mosque, Oja’ba and Bishop Oyebode Memorial Anglican Church, Agugu on the first and second days of the event, there will be a ‘Youth Festival’ organized by OYSACA in collaboration with Impressive Media Concept at Iseyin and visits to about five orphanages, where educational materials and toiletries will be donated.
The agency’s Project Manager mentioned that the fifth and sixth days will feature debate and presentation of prizes and awards to secondary school students and schools at the House of Chief, Secretariat and Youth Festival in Oyo Town. While the grand finale rally of the event will be holding at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan on Saturday, December 1st, 2018.
Dr. Ogunkunle emphasized that at every event put together by the agency for this year’s programme; there will be free HIV test services at various locations within the environments of where the programme is coming up.
On the number of people targeted at this year’s programme, he said that the agency is targeting about 15, 000 people putting into consideration, those that will be tested positive and taken to treatment centres so that they will not transmit the virus to other people.
Dr. Kayode Ogunkunle explained that the prevalence of HIV in Oyo State based on 2014 survey is 1.9 percent, adding that the ongoing impact survey in the state will give the agency and government the opportunity to know the number of people living with HIV and earmark enough funds to procure materials to take care of them.
He implored the people of the state to take advantage of the programme and go for free HIV test which will help them to know their status.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
