Even with the aggressive campaign against further spread of the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), investigations have shown that the Human Immuno Virus (HIV) is still spreading like wild fire in most parts of the country, including the Niger Delta.
Saturday Independent learnt that oil workers, especially expatriates who operate in the Niger Delta area, are among the major group of people responsible for the spread of the virus.
In places like Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Bonny and Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Brass and Yenagoa in Bayelsa State, Warri and Asaba in Delta State, where there is a large concentration of oil workers and Calabar, which is becoming the heart of the tourism business in Nigeria, the virus is fast spreading and causing great apprehension among the residents.
Although, it was learnt that the campaign was yielding some appreciable results in terms of reduction in the number of those who test positive to the virus, but sources also said that those in the rural communities where oil firms operate and in areas where higher institutions are located, are still facing high risk of infection.
Investigations in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States showed that prostitutes, students and oil workers formed the major channels of spread.
In Calabar, the fear was that the virus might be spreading fast during the yuletide season, when people from all over the country visit for the annual Christmas festival.
The Independant correspondent in Calabar learnt that the rate of infection in the state had drastically reduced, as a result of the 2005 sero-sentinel survey of the infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the country, which moved from 12.5 per cent in 2003 to 6.1 percent in 2005.
Although the survey results between then and now is still being expected, especially since the carnival became popular during the period, the World Health Organisation had acknowledged the feat achieved in Cross River State as the state with the most drastic drop in the rate of infection ever recorded in the world within any defined geographical territory.
A recent visit to the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Treatment Centre, at the General Hospital Calabar revealed that the rate of awareness among residents of the State has however increased tremendously.
According to the Superintendent of the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Treatment Centre, Dr. Joseph Ekanem, thousands approached the centre for its services, which include voluntary counseling and testing as well as treatment of those who are infected with the virus.
Source: Saturday Independant
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