Health

Concerns as HIV prevalence soars in Akwa Ibom

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2023

99 Views

Despite the aggressive enlightenment campaign by the government, as well as several donor agencies, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Akwa Ibom State remains high.

Akwa Ibom had in successive years maintained the number one position as a state with the highest burden of HIV in Nigeria, with 5.5%, according to Nigeria HIV/AIDs Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS).

The number one position, though infamous, has left much to be worried about.

Despite the aggressive enlightenment campaign by the government, as well as several donor agencies, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Akwa Ibom State remains high.

The number one position, though infamous, has left much to be worried about.

According to Akwa Ibom State programme data 2022, about 240,000 persons are currently on treatment of HIV/AIDS in the State.

From the number, HIV gender disparity between females and males is high due to biological and social reasons showing that females are the worst hit.

“HIV prevalence was greatest among younger adults, with females aged 20-24 years (1.3%) having almost four times the prevalence of males in the same age group (0.4%).

“As at June 2023, 10,833 adolescents and young persons were on medications hence the need for positive living to ensure they adhere to viral suppression and epidemic control,” the survey revealed.

Dr Edith Mathias Igbemi said during a sensitization programme on HIV/AIDS in the state that women are recording high prevalence of HIV.

She called for more awareness on control measures.

She highlighted LGAs with high prevalence of HIV in Akwa Ibom to include Ikono, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Uyo, Uruan, Ibesikpo, Nsit Ubium, Eket, Ibeno and Oron.

Igbemi noted that the State had made some progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in terms of improved case finding through Index Case Testing, Camping and Creek Testing modalities.

She revealed that with the breakthrough recorded, the 2021 publication of Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health, estimated that the prevalence rate had dropped to 4.4 per cent, adding that this is subject to approval by NACA in another survey.

She, however, called for more collaboration with Stakeholders and Development partners in escalating HIV prevention activities to adolescents and young girls in the State.

Speaking with Mrs Cecilia Ekanem, a health worker with ECEWS in the Primary Health Centre, Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, she identified low access to antenatal care by some pregnant women as one of the factors contributing to the spread of HIV spread, especially from mother to child in the State.

She lamented that some HIV positive mothers most times out of ignorance or fear of stigmatisation failed to go to hospital for antenatal checkup and would end up giving birth to their babies at the Traditional Birth Attendants homes or churches without knowing the safety measures to adopt.

She harped on exclusive breastfeeding for all mothers, saying that it fortifies the baby against diseases, including HIV.

According to her, “we are working to reduce the level of HIV in the State.

“All the pregnant women who come here must be tested. Those who test positive are placed on medication and all of them who follow instructions have babies that are healthy and free of HIV because they are taking their medication.”

On whether HIV positive mothers can breastfeed their babies without transmitting the virus to them, Mrs Ekanem said: “yes, she can breastfeed her child but it must be done exclusively. The child can get infected if the mother introduces mixed feeding.

“So, it is advisable for the mother to stop breastfeeding entirely after six months of exclusive breastfeeding and continue with other family diets so that the child will not be malnourished and will not contract the virus.”

One of the persons living with HIV, simply Edikan, an undergraduate of the Akwa Ibom State University, during the sensitization programme, said he contracted the virus from his mother at birth.

He said he had lived with the virus for 24 years without any form of challenge, noting that HIV is not a death sentence.

He encouraged people to come out for tests and take positive action after knowing their status.

He admitted that People Living with HIV were experiencing a high level of stigma in the State.

He, however, vowed that he would not be deterred from achieving his dream despite the challenge.

To stem the tide of stigma, the Manager of the Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDs (AKSACA), Dr Enobong Akpan called for domestication of the anti-stigma and discrimination law in the State.

Speaking with our correspondent on the efforts of the Agency in tackling HIV stigma in the State, he said “we are going to fight against every form of discrimination or stigmatisation.

“We are going to pursue the necessary laws, the anti stigma law and all the laws to make sure any organisation or institution found to stigmatise any HIV positive person will face sanctions.”

He also encouraged people living with the virus to eschew any form of self stigmatisation, describing it as the worst.

Dr Edith Igbemi, on her part, explained that stigmatisation was one of the factors driving the epidemic, especially amongst the young people, noting that a study revealed that 31.9% agreed that it was difficult to disclose their HIV status to people for fear of being stigmatised.

She said that females were more stigmatised than their male counterparts in the State, noting that the National Demographic Health Survey, NDHS, of 2018, reported that females experienced stigma more than men with a percentage of 61 per cent, while just 38 per cent of men reported stigma.

Also, Gideon Solomon of the Heartland Alliance identified lack of access to prevention materials, such as condoms and pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) as part of factors increasing the spread of HIV in the State, adding that some persons have refused to go for HIV testing due to fear.

He said, “we observed that some people are scared to know their status. But I advise that they should go ahead and have their HIV personal test kit.

“It’s not only knowing your status, but knowing your status consistently following the prevention procedures religiously.

“We want to push the ‘know your status narrative’. If you know your status, what do you do, you go on Prep. If you are on pre-exposure prophylaxis, the chances of you being shielded from getting infected with HIV is 99.9 per cent,” he advised.

Health

Overworked RSUTH Resident Doctor Slump, Dies on Duty

What happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patients.

Published

1 week ago

September 3, 2025

OCHEFA

87 Views

Dr Oluwafemi Rotifa, a young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) collapsed and died after a gruelling 72-hour call duty.

Ohibaba.com reliably gathered that the deceased doctor, fondly called Femoski by colleagues, was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association, PUMSA, and was registered with the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council, awaiting placement abroad.

The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Dr. Tope Osundara, who confirmed Rotifa’s death, said that the deceased doctor had been on continuous call duty for three days in the Emergency Room before he retreated to the call room to rest.

It was there that he slumped and later died, despite efforts to resuscitate him in the Intensive Care Unit.

“What happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patients.

“The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. It was a death on duty,” Osundara lamented.

Health

Rumours of Trump’s ill health spread online despite denial

Published

1 week ago

September 3, 2025

Charles Flames

108 Views

From manipulated images to out-of-context photos, false claims that Donald Trump is seriously ill — or even dead — have swirled online, with the misinformation persisting even after the US president publicly rejected it on Tuesday.

At a White House press conference, Trump dismissed social media rumours about his health as “fake news,” following the 79-year-old’s noticeable absence from public appearances and press events last week.

Since last Friday, there were around 104,000 mentions of the hashtag “Trump dead” on the Elon Musk-owned platform X, generating a cumulative 35.3 million views, according to an analysis from the misinformation watchdog NewsGuard.

Some social media users cited online maps purportedly showing road closures near Maryland’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre as evidence that Trump was being treated for a serious ailment at the facility.

But there were no credible reports of road closures around the medical facility.

Other social media users shared an image of an ambulance parked outside the White House, claiming it was taken last month and citing it as evidence of a health crisis involving Trump.

It was actually an old photo posted by a journalist on X in April 2023 — while Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was still in office, according to NewsGuard.

Some users claiming that Trump was dead shared an out-of-context image of the White House flag flying at half-staff, a traditional gesture used to honour the death of a prominent official.

In reality, Trump had issued a proclamation last week ordering flags at the White House, military posts, and naval stations across the country to be lowered in honour of the victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis.

Some users also posted a zoomed-in image of Trump’s face, claiming it showed a deep line above his eye that indicated a recent stroke.

But NewsGuard found that the original image was out of focus and showed no signs of a line over Trump’s eye. The image used in the false posts was digitally enhanced using an AI tool.

The misinformation — which appeared to originate from liberal anti-Trump accounts on X, Bluesky, and Instagram — persisted even after Trump stated on Truth Social over the weekend: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”

The falsehoods continued to circulate following Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, where he publicly dismissed the health rumours.

Shortly after the conference, one Bluesky account falsely claimed that the “White House just announced” the president was dead.

The falsehoods highlight how facts are increasingly under assault on a misinformation-filled internet landscape, an issue exacerbated by public distrust of institutions and traditional media.

The health of US presidents has always been closely watched, but with the White House seeing its two oldest ever occupants since 2017, the scrutiny is now heavier than ever.

Trump — the oldest man ever to be elected US president — has alleged that Democrats covered up the mental and physical decline of Biden, who was 82 when he left office in January.

Biden’s health was a key issue in the 2024 election, and the then-president was forced to drop his campaign for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

AFP

Health

Why Do People Collapse And Die?

Checks by Ohibaba.com, show that there are various reasons why people may collapse and die suddenly.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 1, 2025

OCHEFA

122 Views

Last week, one of the twin sons of my deceased brother, collapsed at work and died.

The incident happened in Abuja. Immediately, I was contacted with the sad news, I inquired if he was sick.

Her sister replied “No”

Did he go to work on an empty tummy or take medication on an empty tummy?

Again, the response was, “No “Did he have high blood pressure? “No,” was the answer.

Hmmm…

Similarly, the FCT Head of Service, Mrs Grace Adayilo, died in the same manner.

Media reports said that Mrs Adayilo slumped and passed out early this morning, September 1.

The report said that Mrs Adayilo, an indigene of Abuja and incidentally, the first female ever to occupy the position in the FCT Administration, attended a church service on Sunday and even donated to the congregation.

These cases among millions got me wondering: Why do people collapse and die?

Checks by Ohibaba.com, show that there are various reasons why people may collapse and die suddenly.

According to Meta AI, some common causes include:

Medical Conditions

1. Heart conditions: Heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, or other cardiovascular conditions can cause sudden collapse and death.

2. Stroke or brain aneurysm: A stroke or brain aneurysm can cause sudden loss of consciousness and death.

3. Seizures or epilepsy: Severe seizures or epilepsy can lead to loss of consciousness and, in rare cases, death.

External Factors

1. Trauma or injury: Severe head trauma, spinal cord injuries, or other serious injuries can cause collapse and death.

2. Heatstroke or dehydration: Extreme heat or dehydration can lead to collapse and, if untreated, death.

3. Electrocution: Electrical shock can cause cardiac arrest and death.

Other Causes

1. Sudden cardiac arrest: Unexpected cardiac arrest can occur without warning, often due to underlying heart conditions.

2. Anaphylaxis: Severe allergic reactions can cause rapid collapse and, if untreated, death.

3. Poisoning or overdose: Ingestion of toxic substances or overdose of medications can lead to collapse and death.

It’s essential to seek immediate medical attention if someone collapses suddenly. Prompt medical care can help identify the underlying cause and provide appropriate treatment.