The Executive Director and Project Manager of the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA), Dr. Nkem Okeke, has called on Nigerians to make discussions about HIV a regular part of family life, stressing that the fight against the epidemic requires the active involvement of every member of society.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Monday, Okeke said achieving holistic HIV epidemic control in Anambra State and across Nigeria would depend on sustained conversations within families, communities, schools, religious institutions and the media.
He noted that HIV prevention, testing, treatment and the elimination of stigma should not be left solely to government agencies and healthcare professionals, but should become a shared responsibility embraced by parents, guardians and community leaders.
“HIV needs to be made a strategic family conversation again, and everybody must be involved in the drive to achieve holistic epidemic control in Anambra, and indeed Nigeria,” Okeke said.
According to him, encouraging honest and open discussions about HIV within families would promote early testing, improve access to treatment, reduce stigma and discrimination, and encourage healthier lifestyle choices among both young people and adults.
He emphasised that the collective efforts of parents, religious leaders, schools, civil society organisations and the media were essential in raising awareness and strengthening preventive measures against the disease.
Okeke reaffirmed ANSACA’s commitment to expanding public awareness campaigns and strengthening partnerships aimed at reducing new HIV infections while ensuring that people living with HIV continue to receive quality treatment, care and support.
He also urged residents of Anambra State to know their HIV status through regular testing and to support ongoing efforts to eliminate the epidemic in the state and across the country.
The appeal comes weeks after ANSACA launched the **Healthy Living HIV Control Initiative with Nonye Soludo**, a community-based intervention designed to accelerate the state’s response to HIV/AIDS and achieve zero new HIV infections by 2030.
The initiative, unveiled in Awka on June 18, brought together government officials, traditional rulers, development partners, healthcare professionals, youth organisations and civil society groups committed to tackling the epidemic.
Speaking at the launch, Okeke noted that Anambra’s HIV prevalence remains above the national average, making innovative, grassroots-driven interventions necessary to curb new infections.
He explained that the initiative focuses on community health education and awareness campaigns, free HIV testing and counselling services, distribution of prevention commodities, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, as well as the empowerment and support of people living with HIV.
Okeke expressed confidence that sustained collaboration among government agencies, development partners, community leaders and residents would significantly strengthen the state’s HIV response and move Anambra closer to its target of ending new infections by the end of the decade.