The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), joined its counterparts across the world in commemorating the Year 2023 World AIDS Day with the theme: “Let Communities Lead”.
The Day was celebrated by the Community Health Department of LASUTH in collaboration with the Hematology Department, Family Medicine Department, Representatives of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS and some other supporting partners.
The activities for the day began with health talks at various outpatient clinics in the hospital and a courtesy call to the management of the hospital.
During the courtesy visit, the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, alongside other members of management, received the team warmly and applauded the departments for their efforts in celebrating the day.
The CMD said, “It seems as if HIV/AIDS has been pushed from the limelight, it is rarely being spoken about but the truth is that it persists. The diagnosis is not a death sentence and it doesn’t limit people living with HIV/AIDS from living a normal and healthy life”. He advised that early detection and treatment are key.
Similarly, Dr. Oluwatoni Adeyemi, who is a Consultant Public Health Physician and Coordinator of the 2023 LASUTH World AIDS Day Outreach, said the day is a global event celebrated by the World Health Organisation and United Nations for AIDS is significant because there is a continuous need for the creation of awareness about AIDS as an infection and that there are medications to treat it.
Adeyemi noted that the reason for collaborations towards the outreach is to encourage people to come out for testing and canvass against stigmatisation and discrimination among people living with the disease.
She further highlighted ways to prevent the disease such as having protected sex through the use of condoms and avoiding sharing sharp objects that can transmit the disease among others. She also encouraged health workers to adhere strictly to universal precautions while treating patients for safety purposes.
The outreach which was targeted at the general public within LASUTH environs, Police College, Ikeja Bus Terminal, and Ipodo Market, included an awareness walk, health talks at the Mosque, distribution of IEC materials and continuous screening exercise at the SDG building of the hospital.
The World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on the 1st of December.