People living with HIV/AIDS appeal to KDSG, devt. partners for nutritional support
The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Kaduna State chapter, has appealed to the state government and development partners for nutritional support to improve their health status.
The State Coordinator, Mr Bala Samaila, made the appeal in an interview with the Newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday, in commemoration of the 2022 World AIDS Day.
Newsmen reports that World AIDS Day is annually celebrated on Dec. 1 in UN member states since 1988 as an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic, caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who died of the disease.
The day has “Equalise” as theme of the celebration for 2022.
AIDS is a chronic immune system disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which damages the immune system and interferes with the body’s ability to fight diseases.
HIV can be spread through contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.
There’s no cure for HIV/AIDS, but medications can control the infection and prevent disease progression and people taking HIV medications may not have other symptoms for years.
Some people with HIV develop flu-like symptoms two to four weeks after getting the virus and as the virus multiplies and destroys immune cells, symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes may occur.
If left untreated, HIV typically turns into AIDS in about eight to 10 years.
The NEPWHAN state coordinator, therefore, said improving the diet of people living with HIV and AIDs will meaningfully improve their health status and general quality of life.
He said “this is key to winning the fight against the virus.”
Samaila added that access to good nutritional food would significantly increase the chances of viral suppression and adherence to the drugs.
He said most of the people living with the virus are orphans, vulnerable children and widows living in abject poverty, adding that good nutrition is crucial to their survival.
The state coordinator said “sometimes members of the network call me seeking for help just to be able to eat and most of them are widows with children to feed.
“Such challenges will be addressed if there is specific nutritional programme for the needs of poor and vulnerable people living with the virus.’’
He said that the body of some of the people living with the virus experiences changes due to the condition and daily medications.
According to him, such a condition most times leads to weight loss, particularly among people with poor access to nutritious food.
He explained that “access to good nutrition is, therefore, crucial in improving the quality of life of people living with the virus.
“This is because it provides the nutrients the body needs and keeps the immune system stronger to better fight the virus.
“Therefore, we are calling on the state government and development partners to look into the issue of food and nutrition for people living with HIV and AIDS.’’
The coordinator also appealed to the government to consider some form of skill acquisition and economic empowerment for people living with the virus.
This, according to him, will empower the target population to access quality nutrition food that will equally help their recovery and viral suppression.
He equally called for financial support to the network to enable it to conduct support group meetings that keep members educated and enlightened on ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
“This will also enable us to encourage the young ladies among us who might be sleeping with men just to get a little money to take care of some basic needs, and by doing so, spreading the virus,” he said.
