HIV/AIDS: FACA distributes 7m condoms to FCT residents in 2016-Official

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (FACA) said it distributed seven million condoms to FCT residents in 2016, to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Project Manager of the agency, Dr Uche Okoro, disclosed this to our reporter in an interview in Abuja on Saturday.

Okoro said that beneficiaries consisted of those vulnerable to the condition like commercial sex workers and homosexuals.

He further said that FACA carried out intensive training for those prone to HIV/AIDS infection on the importance of the use of condoms, consistently, while having sexual intercourse.

“Some people pay extra money to have sex with commercial sex workers without the use of condom, with the intention of spreading HIV through them.

“We have advised them not to accept or allow such a thing as their lives are equally important,’’ the project manager said.

According to Okoro, the prevalence of HIV had reduced drastically in the FCT with the agency’s massive enlightenment campaign, especially in 2016.

He also said that FACA had designed a five-year strategic plan from, 2017 to 2021, on eradicating HIV/AIDS in the territory.

Okoro, however, expressed concern over the gradual withdrawal of support by development partners, saying that the development would pose a challenge to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.

He, therefore, urged the Federal, state and local governments to pay serious attention to eradicating the condition from the country.