Bauchi enrolls 16, 588 living with HIV–Agency

The Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS,  Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA) has disclosed that the state had in the last 12 months enrolled 16, 588 people living with HIV on treatment as against 13, 503 in 2017.

Executive Chairman of the Agency, Dr Muhammad Sambo Alkali disclosed this yesterday during the occasion of the 2018 World AIDS Day celebration organized by BACATMA in the state.

He said this year ‘is highly symbolic’ in the history of AIDS in the state as the fight against the disease clocked 30 years with a significant reduction in the spread of the infection from 6.8 per cent in 2001 to 0.6 per cent in 2018.

According to him, the agency had also procured and distributed 120, 000 units of HIV rapid test kits to 323 health facilities to strengthen prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV revealing however that 72 infants have been diagnosed HIV positive this year.

Alkali also noted that since its establishment in 2008, BACATMA was able to organize and support matched making marriage of 156 couples living with HIV adding that the wedlock’s resulted to the delivery of more than 70 babies who were tested negative to HIV.

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