Respite has come the way of people who are accidentally exposed to HIV, with introduction of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), a drug use in preventing the much dreaded disease.
A report by Premium Times revealed that despite efficacy of the drug, many Nigerians are yet to know about it.
As the reporter walks towards the ‘heart to heart’ centre at Wuse District Hospital, she thinks: ”if truly a drug to prevent one from getting infected with HIV exists, why then are about 1.9 million Nigerians living with HIV?”
On getting to the centre, the reporter explains to the nurse that she ”may have been exposed to HIV following a condom break a night before.”
To the reporter’s delight, the nurse said: “I will give you a drug called Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV, and you will take it for 30 days straight without interruption,” she said.
Just like the reporter, many Nigerians do not know that these drugs exist.
The reporter carried out a series of interviews with some Nigerians to ascertain if they knew about PEP. Unfortunately, out of about 20 people, between the ages 19 and 50 years, none of them had ever heard of PEP. Many of them were only willing to provide their first names.
A lady in her late 20s simply identified as Deborah said she never knew such a drug existed.
“I have had countless razor cuts and needle pricking, so if I knew such drugs exist, I would have attempted to get some (drugs) at a time,” she said.
Wasiu, 35 years old, also said the same.
“It’s only God that keeps protecting one. I don’t have HIV, and I have never taken any drugs to prevent it. I mean, I don’t even know there is a drug to prevent it,” he said.
Also, Abdulrasheed said he is hearing about such drugs for the first time.
“I am hearing about this for the first time. But really? Such drugs exist, and people don’t even know about it. I believe 90 per cent of people you have asked do not know about this drug,” he said.
One would have thought the older people would be aware of the existence of PEP.
Solomon Curtis, a 47-year-old man, said he just heard about PEP from this reporter.
“Tell me more about this PEP and where can I get it,” he said.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges.
The Nigerian HIV/AIDs Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) indicates that about 1.9 million Nigerians are currently living with the disease, according to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).
Certainly, the rate of HIV transmission globally can further reduce, if more people are aware of PEP.
PEP for HIV is a short-term treatment with antiretroviral medicine to reduce one’s chance of becoming infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) after a potentially high-risk situation.
The 30-day medication helps prevent HIV from replicating and spreading in the body as long as it is first taken within 72 hours after exposure.
PEP was initially introduced to health workers who are occasionally exposed to HIV in the line of duty. This is referred to as occupational exposure.
It is now being administered to other non-occupational exposures which include cases of condom break during sex, or in the case of unprotected sex with an anonymous partner or rape cases. It is also used during infections emanating from sharing a syringe for injection of a hard drug.
Before PEP is administered to a person after potential HIV exposure, an HIV test is conducted to determine the status of the person.PEP can only be started if the rapid diagnostic test reveals no HIV infection present.
Due to the poor health system in the country, one would have thought that such drugs will be unavailable in public hospitals.
But the reverse was the case when PREMIUM TIMES visited the National Hospital, Abuja and Kubwa General Hospital.
The drug can be accessed in any of the government-owned hospitals and for free.
A visit to some private hospitals also shows that the drugs are available at no cost.
The reporter made efforts to access PEP in some pharmacies in Abuja, but only one had PEP drugs which it was ready to sell at N13,110 per pack. Culled from: Premiumtimes
