HIV prevalence drops by 8% in Akwa Ibom

A recent survey on Human Immuno-deficiency Virus ( HIV ) conducted in Akwa Ibom State has revealed a significant drop in the virus prevalence rate in the state.

The survey which was carried out across the 31 local government areas in the state between April and June this year showed a drastic fall from 10.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent.

The study, which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was a collaborative effort between the state government and USAID flagship HIV/AIDS and TB project – Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS), and is implemented by FHI 360.

A total of 4,313 households were sampled while 7,791 children and 9,145 adults were tested for HIV.

The study found that the HIV prevalence among children 0 to 14 years was 0.4 percent while the prevalence among persons 15 years and older was 4.8 percent.

The study further revealed a 0.41 percent annual incidence of HIV among adults ages 15 years and older. The number of new infections was said to be closely similar in females as in males (0.41% among females and 0.42% among males).

However, the HIV incidence in ages 15- 19 was higher than the rest of the age groups; translating to nearly half of the new HIV infections occurring in the adult population.

 

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