NGO Calls for Improved Clinical Services for Advanced HIV Disease in Bayelsa

Stakeholders in the health sector in Bayelsa state have been urged to improve the quality of clinical care and services for Advanced HIV Disease, AHD in the state.

State Program Manager, Heartland Alliance, Mr Joe Umana disclosed this during a two day training for facility focal persons and health officers from all local government areas of Bayelsa state.

Mr Umana noted that the objective of the training was to support the Bayelsa Technical team across the continuum of care in supported sites which is part of efforts aimed at managing and controlling HIV infections in the state.

Lead Facilitator, Dr Mabel Ikpeme in a lecture delivered explained that Advanced HIV Disease, AHD has become another major source of death in Nigeria among People living with HIV, PLHIV due to tuberculosis and other infections related to HIV.

She noted that HIV becomes Advanced HIV due to delayed enrollment into care, patients abandoning care, loss of follow-up on patients, nonavailability of treatment for other opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, diarrhea and others.

NGO Calls for Improved Clinical Services for Advanced HIV Disease in Bayelsa — Some participants at the two-day training on Improved Clinical Services for Advanced HIV Disease in Bayelsa

Dr Ikpeme stated that Advanced HIV Disease is characterized by weakened immune system which makes the defense cells and organs of the body unable to fight infections thereby causing deaths from HIV related illnesses.

“The Federal government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health has started the implementation of AHD in Nigeria since 2019 due to the fact that an estimate of 1.4million Nigerians on Anti-retroviral still lose their lives due to treatment failure and other factors” she added.

She emphasized that all health officials should ensure that they have a high level of suspicion and use their clinical judgement to screen their patients for Advanced HIV Disease particularly when some vital signs and symptoms are noticed.

While delivering a lecture on tuberculosis which is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, Dr Mabel Ikpeme called on all persons to get themselves tested as sometimes, the symptoms could go unnoticed.

The training was attended by doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, representatives from the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health and General Hospitals in other local government areas of the state.

Also, Prevention Officer of the Bayelsa State Agency for the Control of AIDS, BYSACA, Abite Ezekiel, Community Mobilization Officer, Precious Lambert, Information Officer, Ebizimo Agedah were also in attendance.