Chairman of the Cross River State Technical Working Group on HIV, Macphelane Ejah, has raised concerns over the low HIV awareness among young people born in the past two decades.

Speaking in Calabar on Wednesday during an interview, Mr Ejah reacted to the recent suspension of HIV funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This move followed an executive order from President Donald Trump, which halted funding for HIV programmes for 90 days, creating uncertainty for life-saving HIV initiatives in Africa.

Mr Ejah explained that HIV awareness had been lacking over the last 20 years.

He said, “A recent survey in Cross River revealed that many children are reaching sexual maturity earlier but lack vital knowledge about HIV prevention.
We’ve neglected education and sensitisation efforts, while high-risk behaviours have increased. This is a wake-up call.”

He added that Cross River faced a unique challenge due to its proximity to states with high HIV infection rates, including Benue and Akwa Ibom states , as well as neighbouring Cameroon, where people frequently engage in cross-border activities.

As a member of the state’s Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Technical Working Group, Mr Ejah called on the government to prioritise local production of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).

He also pointed out that while the state had the necessary human resources, HIV-related programmes suffered from inadequate funding.

“HIV is not even treated as a priority in the state budget. Without adequate funding, we can’t make significant progress,” he stated.

Mr Ejah urged both the state and federal governments to increase support for the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), highlighting its close collaboration with civil society organisations in the fight against HIV.

According to Mr Ejah, two per cent of Nigeria’s population is currently infected with HIV, and the focus should be on preventing reinfection and reducing viral loads.

For the remaining 98 per cent, he emphasised the need for behavioural change interventions to keep them uninfected.

He stressed that this should be the main focus of HIV funding.

(NAN)