Eagles Lead initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on Friday donated HIV self-testing kits to 255 persons in Yelwa community of Kaduna State.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Peter Ezekiel told our correspondent, shortly after the presentation of the kits in Kaduna, that the donation was part of efforts to increase sensitisation of HIV/Aids and reduce the scourge amongst adolescents.
Reports that the beneficiaries were mostly Kaduna polytechnic students, adolescents and youths.
Ezekiel said the NGO discovered that many people do not know their HIV status and thus have higher chances of contracting and infecting others with the virus as they continue to socialise.
He said the HIV self-testing kits would scale up case finding and accelerate early diagnosis of persons thereby they could quickly access treatment.
“To achieve HIV/AIDS epidemic control, Eagles Lead initiative is committed to ensuring all ages, genders, and at-risk populations know their HIV status, receive life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services, and, for those living with HIV, achieve viral suppression.
“This means focusing on quality, inclusive, client-centered care – meeting patients where they are with what they need – to improve access, retention, and outcomes,’’ Ezekiel said,
He said that the HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits provides young people with a convenient, discreet, and empowering way to know their HIV status.
According to him, HIV testing is a key entry point to HIV prevention and treatment and efforts to achieve the first 95 per cent of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
Ezekiel said that the initiative was aimed at 95 per cent of people living with HIV know their status by 2030.
“In 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended HIV self-testing, as an alternative to traditional HIV testing services (HTS) given its potential to expand HIV testing access to the hardest to reach population.
“Hard to reach population include young people who are at risk for or with an undiagnosed HIV infection who may not otherwise receive testing from conventional services,” the director said.
He said HIV self-testing (HIVST) allows individuals to collect their sample (either oral- or blood-based), conduct the test, and interpret the results privately or with someone that they trust.
“More recently, HIVST was incorporated into the revised National HIV and AIDS strategic framework 2019–2021, as a priority policy and programmatic approach to HIV response in Nigeria.
“Despite compelling evidence on the beneficial effects of HIVST, HIVST uptake remains limited among Nigerian youth, raising concerns about missed opportunities to actively engage this population.
“Consequently, it is vital to understand young people’s preferences for HIVST, including factors that may facilitate or hinder uptake in Nigeria,’’ Ezekiel said