By Blessing Odega
The Commissioner for Health in Plateau, Dr Cletus Shurkuk, said the state recorded 2,260 new cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections and 581 deaths in 2023.
Shurkuk said this on Saturday in Jos at an event to commemorate the 2024 World AIDS Day (WAD), annually marked globally on Dec. 1 and has “Take the Right Path” as the theme for this year.
According to him, 45,835 persons living with the virus in the state are on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
He revealed that the state government had expanded testing services to more than 900 healthcare facilities and increased awareness about HIV prevention and treatment.
He explained that the state had improved strategies to halt Mother-To-Child transmission of the virus by successfully conducting tests on 46,828 pregnant women between January and June 2024.
Shurkuk said the state had achieved 88-98-95 target toward meeting the UNAIDS target of 99-95-95 by 2030, a pathway to HIV epidemic control.
The commissioner, who described the theme of the 2024 WAD as appropriate, noted that for the right path to be taken, there was need for increased comprehensive sex education and awareness, particularly among young people.
He added that the measure was apt, as the younger generation is key to shaping a more informed future.
He called for more community engagements, increased access to healthcare, more research and innovations toward tackling the disease.
Shurkuk commended development partners for collaborating with the state in providing quality healthcare services to citizens.(NAN)
Edited by Gabriel Yough
