The Executive Secretary of the Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (O’SACA), Dr. Adeniyi Oginni, has disclosed that over 50,000 individuals in the state are currently living with HIV.
In response to this, the agency has initiated the distribution of preventive resources. Dr. Oginni is urging those with HIV to undergo testing.
He noted that allocating these resources to various organizations, such as the 31 Local Agency for the Control of AIDS (LACA Managers), Network of People Living with AIDS (NEPWHAN), Implementing partners, CBOs focusing on HIV, Civil Society groups addressing HIV/AIDS (CiSHAN), and several ART clinics in the state, is a crucial step in the collective effort to curb the spread of the disease.
According to him, “About 50,000 people are still living with HIV in Osun, with 28,000 of them already receiving treatment. Available statistics show that the prevalence of HIV in Osun State is 0.9 per cent. With an estimated population of 5.2 million people, this translates to about 50,000 persons living with the virus in the state.
“There are still so many that have not come out to be tested. But we are urging them to come out to be tested. If you know your status, you will start treatment immediately and you will get to a level where you are no longer a threat to yourself or the community.”