The Akwa Ibom government has blamed the high rate of HIV/AIDS recorded in the state, on the influx of visitors.This came after the Nigerian HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), revealed that the state has the highest prevalence rate of HIV in the country. The report which was released on March 14, in Abuja revealed that 5.5 per cent of the people living with HIV in Nigeria are in Akwa Ibom State, followed by Benue State, which has about 5.3 per cent prevalence rate.
However the Akwa Ibom government who reacted to the report, blamed the high rate of HIV/AIDS on influx of visitors coming for various reasons. The state’s health commissioner Dominic Ukpong, who briefed reporters in Uyo on the state government reaction to the survey findings, said;
“The location of the state with a large coastal front of 129 Km stretching from Ikot Abasi to Oron, an airport, good road network, peaceful atmosphere, friendly disposition of our people, good cuisines and fast developing economy have made our state the destination of choice for both national and international visitors. All these are not without attendant public health consequences, like transmission of communicable diseases which HIV/AIDS cannot be excluded.
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