Warning against female genital mutilation — Kwara agency

The Kwara State AIDS Control Agency has issued warnings against dangerous cultural practices that aid in the spread of HIV/AIDS, including female genital mutilation.

This caution was given on Friday at an outreach program in the Bieleshin village of the Asa Local Government Area of the state by Dr. Alabi Seleem, the Executive Secretary of KWASACA.

The program’s tagline, “Towards an HIV/AIDS-Free Kwara by 2030,” was “Bieleshin HIV Intervention.”

Seleem, who is also the Project Manager of the agency, stressed the need to critically examine harmful cultural practices and their impact on health.

He urged the community to move away from practices detrimental to their well-being.

He noted the close relationship between structural, cultural, and religious beliefs, and how cultural norms shape people’s actions and behaviours.

The agency had gathered data on the community, which informed the outreach and intervention programme.

“We have come up with a package of prevention messages because we have realised that it is essential to equip the indigenous people of this community and its environs with the necessary information on how to protect themselves from contracting the HIV virus,” he said.

He further explained that partners who had worked in the area for several months provided valuable data, which the agency was using to make policy decisions.

“Our intervention strategy is twofold: first, identifying more people in the community who are HIV positive and linking them to care; and second, using general population testing to randomly identify individuals in remote areas and settlements within the local government,” he explained.

Seleem also mentioned that those already identified would be monitored, along with their family members and sexual partners, to help identify others at risk. He highlighted the importance of integrating health interventions, including tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases like hypertension and malaria, with HIV efforts.

During the outreach, 69 people were tested, with some identified as HIV positive. The agency has commenced the treatment phase for those affected.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Health and Environment, Razaq Owolabi, praised the interventions as part of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s strategies for improving public health. He added that the community required more health facilities and assured them that the government would provide additional interventions.

KWASACA’s Head of Community Systems, Mr Oyedeji Olufemi, explained that the campaign aimed to mobilise and educate the community on the need to stop harmful cultural practices that increase the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. He stressed the importance of proactive measures and cooperation to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.

In his remarks, the Mogaji of Bieleshin community, Alhaji Saidu Aru, commended the agency for its health intervention efforts. He also urged community members to get tested and, if found positive, to adhere to their medication regimen.

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