Medical expert warns over rapid growth of HIV/ AIDS, says 1.9m Nigerians are carriers

Mrs. Roseline Solarin, Paediatric Nurse and HIV Counselor, and medical expert have said that Nigeria is the highest HIV/ AIDS endemic country in the world, adding that no fewer than 1.9 million Nigerians are living with HIV/ AIDS.

Roseline also noted that the deadly HIV AIDS virus is currently found among people within the ages of 15 and 49 based on statistics issued by UNAIDS and National Agency for the Control of AIDS statistics.

Speaking during a public presentation of a book titled ‘Sex Education Made Easy,’ a manual to help parents teach sex education with confidence in Sagamu, Mrs. Roseline who also doubles as Chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwifery Association of Nigeria(NANNM), Ogun State chapter, charged parents to be alive to their parental responsibilities, especially by giving them sex education, blames the internet and social media over the high rate of moral decadence in the country.

In addition, she urged the youths to abstain from sex until they were married, and where they could not help it, they should put safety first and wear protective gear – condoms, in order to protect their lives, health, and future.

“We parents are the first teachers to our children. We should not shy away from our responsibility, especially when it comes to sex education. If we refuse to teach them, other people will teach them in the wrong way.”

“Sex education goes beyond sex, it’s about different topics like body image, body positivity and all of that”.

“Government needs to reexamine its laws and policies on sexual assault because the policy that works ten years ago is different from the one that works right now”.

Nwada Ugochinyere Onyechere reporting, Obinwannem Neews