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Plateau Hospital to Commence HIV Vaccine Trial

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Daily Trust (Abuja)

July 29, 2002
Posted to the web July 29, 2002

Rakiya A. Muhammad
 

A vaccine for HIV will soon commence in Plateau Special Hospital.

The State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Patrick Dakum who disclosed this to journalists in Jos, said the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. L. Ayuba will be visiting the United States of America as part of efforts to foster the working relationship with Harvard University.

He noted that the USA has come up with vaccines that have been tried in their population and have been found to boost the immune system.

It has been tried in Mozambique, it has also been tried in Uganda and what we are trying now is looking at the Nigerian community whether this vaccines will evoke the same reaction in our own population," the commissioner asserted.

The Information Commissioner added, "I think with the growing cases that we have, it is time for Nigeria to be involved."

He disclosed that government has almost completed the ultra-modern laboratory western blot test that detects the virus within the weeks of infection, adding that it is being carried out in collaboration with Harvard University in USA.

Dr. Dakum who described as a threat to the state the current 8.5 per cent HIV Sero-Prevalance for Plateau State, said government has recently concluded plan of action for HIV intervention through the state Action Committee on AIDs.

He expressed the state government's appreciation to the UNICEF for its support in addressing the AIDS pandemic among young people.