Ondo Has 24,130 Persons Living With AIDS – Agency Report

By Ayodele Oni

The total diversion of attention to curtail the continued spread of Covid 19 pandemic beyond its present state may have shifted efforts of government from addressing other communicable disease such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (AIDS).

This may equally have led to the continued spread of the disease, which is usually transmitted through sexual intercourse.

In recent times, the wide publicity given to wearing of nose mask to check spread of Covid 19, is not accorded to using of condom during sexual intercourse, especially with strange partners.

Also, mass vacinnation of the populace to check the spread of the pandemic has not been extended to checking the menace of AIDS.

The figure released by the Ondo State Agency for Control of AIDS (ODSACA), on Wednesday in Akure confirmed that the sexually transmitted disease has all along been abandoned with preference now to Covid 19.

According to the ODSACA statistics, not less than 24,130 persons in the state have been confirmed to be living with AIDS and the figure may continue to rise.

Coordinator of the centre, Dr. Dayo Adegbulu disclosed this during an interactive session with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Prof. Adedayo Faduyile.

He explained that as at September, 2021, 12,067 patients were placed on treatment out of the 24,130 people living with the scourge in the state.

Dr Adegbulu pointed out that there was need for more awareness, while people should be educated on the need to know their status on regular basis, adding that  more people should be placed on treatment.

Speaking on effort towards curtailing the epidemic, he called for more funding, test and treatment of incarcerated population, and condom promotion programmes.

Making his own presentation, Director, Finance and Administration, Ondo State Emergency Medical Services Agency (ODEMSA), Mr. Samuel Olubekun explained that the agency has made tremendous achievement in the area of saving lives.

According to him, as at January 2022, 1,121 crash victims have been rescued by the agency, noting that 40 percent paramedics were trained in 2018.

While lamenting paucity of fund, which according to him has hindered effective service delivery, he called on government to upgrade the call centre at Trauma centre, Ondo so as to cope with the present day technical challenges.

He called for reconstruction of the existing ODEMSA network mast at the Akure complex of UNIMEDTH and erection of another mast at Akoko area to boost signal to Oba Akoko base station.

He listed the location of the base stations in the state to include; Oka Akoko, Ilara-Mokin, Bolorunduro and Ore.

Earlier, Prof. Faduyile has stressed on the need for team work in the health sector in order to achieve the vision of the present administration in the state.

While calling on them to embrace the REDEEMED agenda of government by redoubling their steps in order to move at a higher pace in achieving success in the sector,  he assured them of his support and encouraged them to support government for positive impact in the state.