Behavioural change, antidote to HIV/AIDS - CiSHAN

By Seye Adeniyi- 14.03.2008

THE Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN), Oyo State chapter, an umbrella body of all the non-governmental organisations fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, has emphasised behavioural changes among the people if the fight against the spread the dreaded disease is to succeed in the country.

The organisation stated this on Thursday in Ibadan when they paid an advocacy visit to the Tribune House.

Speaking on behalf of other executive members, the state coordinator of CiSHAN, Pastor Tunji Agboola, said people needed more information about HIV/AIDS as there was a lot of wrong information about the disease.

According to him, people needed to know what made them more vulnerable to HIV and the actual mode of contracting it.

“How to contract HIV/AIDS must be completely spelt out. The issue of care and support also needs to be pursued and implemented appropriately rather than paying lip services to it.”

On the reasons HIV is spreading fast in the country, especially among the youth, Pastor Agboola said there was the need for comprehensive HIV tests, which should be done by all to ascertain their HIV status.

The Federal Government, he said, had adopted the “opt-out policy as part of routine testing for HIV and AIDS, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and as contained in the enclosed National Guidelines for HIV and AIDS Counselling and Testing.