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NIGERIA HIV/AIDS NEWS
Fighting AIDS through Sharia, poverty alleviation March 8, 2007 :: Imam Imam, ThisDay,Lagos More than two decades into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, substantial gains have been made in understanding how HIV is transmitted and it effects, including physiological, psychological and socio-economic. At community levels, the scourge has left population devastated, resulting in an increased burden on governments to support the people who are ill, as well as the dependents of those infected. Even though different governments face different epidemic dynamics, all governments respond in almost familiar manner so as to mitigate the impact of the disease. In Zamfara, the state known all over the country as a Sharia state following its adoption of the Islamic legal code in the year 2000, the government has deployed religious strategy to battle the disease and from all indication, the effort is garnering some successes. Being a very conservative society, open discussion about the disease has over the years proven to be one of the most worrisome impediments to the success of the war against the scourge. In addition, being a state with a low literacy level, ignorance is playing a key role is the spread of the disease. Zamfara, like Nigeria itself, is a state whose majority of its citizens is ravaged by the problem of poverty. So realising this fact, the government made the battle against poverty and integral part of the fight against Aids. Speaking at a recent workshop organised for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in the fight against Aids, Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi said for many years, HIV/Aids was viewed as a medical and health problem, rather than as a broad socio-economic challenge. The focus, according to him, was on the medical implications of the epidemic, especially the search for cure and vaccine. "In the last few years, the damage the pandemic is doing to years of development gains, and the potential for future development, has been recognised. That is why we in Zamfara state put the fight against Aids side by side with the fight against poverty, unemployment and other social vices. "To express our commitment to fight the scourges together, the government has, over the years been granting motorcycle loans and other empowerment strategies the same way it issues out ARVs in its hospitals to infected persons free of charge and to other NGOs involved in the fight against Aids," the deputy governor emphasised. Studies have shown that poor people suffer from higher levels of illiteracy and lack of access to health care and other social services. This makes it much less likely that they will receive information about HIV and how to avoid infection. Poor diets and housing make those infected by the virus more vulnerable to opportunistic infections. At the same time, the impact of HIV/Aids on the households can be catastrophic. In the absence of widespread social safety nets, including health insurance or social security, the illness of a family member means both an increase in medical expenses and a decline in family income, often plunging families into poverty. Ignorance most times compounds the issue, as early cases of infection are not reported. They are rather attributed to traditional and religious beliefs. In a recent interview with THISDAY, Alhaji Ibrahim Tudu, the chairman of the Coalition of Non-governmental Organisations involved in the fight against Aids in Zamfara State, said despite massive public enlightenment on the dangers of the disease, lots of people are still ignorant about the disease. He said both the government and NGOs have to devise strategies of educating the people on what HIV is and how to treat infected persons. "A lot of people still believe one can only contract the disease through illicit sexual behaviour. In addition, the society here doesn't want to have any contact with infected persons for fear of spreading the disease. That is why voluntary testing for HIV is so rare. People don't want to come out and admit they are infected because their family and other members of their communities will reject them," he said. Tudu described ignorance as the biggest impediment hindering the fight against HIV/Aids not only in Zamfara State, but also in the northern part of the country. According to him, there are widespread ignorance from those infected with the dreaded virus as well as general members of the society on the basic knowledge of how the virus can be contacted as well as how to manage it. He said lots of people, especially in Zamfara State think, "it is only commercial sex workers who can contract the disease," while in the actual fact, it is not the case. He said to tackle the problem; both NGOs working in the state as well as Zamfara State Action Committee on Aids (ZAMSACA) have embarked on massive enlightenment campaign to intimate members of the public on various means the virus can be contacted. He equally urged people to go for voluntary counseling and also for them to know their HIV status because only if that is done "would someone effectively protect himself and his loved ones." |