The Executive Director of Journalists Against AIDS, Olayide Akanni, has called on African leaders to sustain the African Health Response on HIV, TB and malaria.
Akanni made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Friday.
She said it was important for African leaders to work towards sustaining research on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
Akanni recalled that in 2001, African heads of state pledged their commitment to controlling the spread of HIV, TB and malaria as well as other related infectious diseases.
She said that in 2006, AU heads of state and governments adopted the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action towards universal access to HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria services in Africa.
Akanni said that since the 2001 declaration, African civil society groups’ response to HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria had played a central role in advancing and actualising the commitments.
“Such pivotal role of civil society can be effective within a framework of adequate synergy among civil society organisations in Africa, coupled with appropriate collaboration among key stakeholders,” she stated.
FLorita Durueke, Programme Manager of New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society, said that tuberculosis was the disease with least awareness and that persons living with HIV and AIDS were also vulnerable to tuberculosis.
Durueke said that in Africa, almost 60 per cent of people living with HIV and AIDS had tuberculosis, adding that the disease needed a lot of research and awareness.
She said: “Awareness should be carried out at the grassroots, to enable the layman have an idea of what tuberculosis is and the preventive measures to take.
“WHO has diagnosed several tests and approaches but the scale-up is low and lagging behind.”
Durueke said that although BCG, a vaccine for the prevention of TB in infants was almost 100 years old, more research and awareness still needed be carried out for adults.
“Government’s interest in the case of tuberculosis is still very low, collective interest and one voice should be brought to bear in the implementation,” she said.
Also speaking, Evelyn Kibuchi of KANCO, a group based in Kenya, spoke of the efforts being made in Kenya, explaining why her group got a diagnosis machine for tuberculosis.
Kibuchi said that this was because of the issues of follow up and waiting long for results that could increase new infections and low sensitivity diagnosis.
Kibuchi said that African heads of states should develop interest in health research.
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