A five-day training for Selected Senior journalists and Editors across the country on appropriate Hiv information organized by PEPFAR in collaboration with the Henry Jackson Foundation Living Health International and Journalist Against Aids has ended with a charge on participants to avoid the use of images and languages that portray continues drive for stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV/Aids.
The training held at Sheraton Hotel Lagos state brought together stakeholders in HIV/Aids response and also affords them the opportunity to assess the progress made so far in HIV response in Nigeria, the challenges, and the way forward towards achieving 95 percent epidemic control by the year 2030 as projected by the UNAIDS.
In her remarks, the Executive Director Journalist Against Aids, Mrs. Olayide Akanni said the training is aimed at equipping the participants with the appropriate languages to drive the information about HIV and other issues in HIV response in Nigeria to deal with the prevailing stigma against those living with HIV/Aids.
Mrs Akanni said though HIV is not over in Nigeria, there are new dimensions in prevalence among the young people, pointing out that the culture of the right languages, and education will change the perception of the young ones who think that Hiv is not a big deal and engages in practices that may put them at the risk of contacting the virus.
She maintained that Hiv is not a death sentence, as those living with Hiv can live normal lives taking drugs.
Also speaking, Dr Adebayo Gbenga of Living Health noted that the difference between those living with HIV/Aids and Hepatitis and diabetes is only stigma that must stop, and urged families and society to change the stigma the perception about HIV/Aids.
Contributing, Dr Olaifa Yewande of the National Agency for the Control of Aids while enumerating various strategies by Donors, Government, and implementing partners in the HIV response, stressed the need for sustainability and ownership by the states upon donors’ withdrawal of their support while advocating for the integration of HIV into the health insurance system.
In his presentation, Dr Murphy Akpu of the joint United Nations Program on aids UNAIDS emphasized the need for the integration of HIV into the health services in the country rather than making it a special unit, which promotes stigma, pointing out that innovations mother to the mother-mother-mother-mother-mother-mother-to-child transmission of HIV, can perfectly control, and called for all hands to be on deck to stop new infections.
The Country Coordinator of PEPFAR, Funmi Adesanya who spoke through Miss Nnenna Onyemaobi assured of the continued support for Hiv response in Nigeria and encouraged the media to see themselves as critical stakeholders by giving the right information that could bring down the stigma of those living with Hiv.
