The Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence infection rate of in Plateau state has dropped to 5.3 per cent from about 7.7 per cent, Executive Director, Plateau Aids Control Agency (PLACA), Mr. Sunday Markus Koka, has said. Koka said, peer education as well as community sensitization, were some of the preventive measures put in place to reduce the prevalence. According to him, the faithbased approach to preventing HIV prevalence contributed to the decrease in the infections.

“The prevalence rate in Plateau State was, 2.6 percent in 2008, but it rapidly increased to 7.7 percent in 2010, due to the crises situation that engulfed the State, foreign AIDs workers were then afraid to work in the state. “After intensive work, the prevalence rate dropped to 5.9 per cent in 2014 and the status of Plateau State as at 2016 was 5.3 per cent and that is the current position,” he explained. Koka however said, recently, the Meriland University is working to get standard rates across Nigeria, adding: “They said current rates are not reliable and therefore need another survey that will give accurate rates.

“Meriland University is now in Plateau state; we have started with two local government areas of Jos North and Jos South, which are doing test. “The current test is being sponsored by Total, and the target is to go into mosques, churches, communities, and healthcare facilities to test people so that reliable rates can be accessed,” Koka said.

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Plateau HIV prevalence rate drops to it’s lowest in years