By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Speaking yesterday at a journalists roundtable organised by Internews Local Voice Project in Abuja, Mrs. Omeka said that inspite of her plea that he (her husband) should leave her alone, “he stuck to me until he got me wedded despite my HIV status”.
According to her, they have gotten an issue from the marriage, adding that with the knowledge on the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS, her child is negative of the virus.
Her husband’s action, she explained, was carried out to tell the world that HIV/AIDS should not be a barrier to marriage, “as somebody with the virus can be pregnant and bear children without infecting her unborn baby and her spouse with the virus.”
Mrs.Omeka who has just been treated for tuberculosis, called on government and organisations to increase awareness on tuberculosis which is responsible for most deaths of people living with the virus, pointing out that most PLWHAs are not aware of the existence of free TB treatment centers in the country.
“People should not only be sensitized about the existence of the TB treatment centers but should also be adequately informed that the treatment of the disease is free at those centres”, the HIV positive mother maintained.
Speaking earlier at the journalists roundtable discu-ssion, tagged, “Imperative for Handling Tuberculosis and HIV in Nigeria”, the Focal Officer, TB/HIV Collabor-ation in the ministry of health, Dr. Asadu Emeka, said government is doing everything possible to increase the number of treatment centers as well as the Directly Observed Therapy Short-Course (DOTS) centers in the country.
He said there are over 8,700 DOTS centers and about 900 treatment centers for the disease, adding that treatment is free in government approved treatment centers and that efforts are being made to increase awareness of the existence of the centers and the services rendered.
Dr. Emeka who identified under funding, human and infrastructural capacity as the major constraints facing the TB/HIV collaborations, also noted that, “it is government’s vision that there should be DOTS and HIV/AIDS treatment centers within a walking distance”.