Posted on: Wed 19-08-2020

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria and ISN Medical have embarked on research to study the burden, prevalence, risk factors and incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases among people living with HIV. The research would be using five sites across the Federal Capital Territory, including Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja.

The acting Regional Sales Manager for ISN Medical, Mr Vitalis Echebiri, said the company had donated laboratory equipment and reagents worth N25m to Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja.

He said the donation was not to make financial gains but to strengthen indigenous research effort through the provision of local funding for the development of medical content. According to him, the study would engage 200 people living with HIV alongside another 200 people who tested negative to the virus.

He said that they would be registered and tested periodically for NCDs over a period of two years. Starting with Kubwa General Hospital as the first site, the research would expand to other sites including the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nyanya General Hospital, Asokoro District Hospital and the Police Clinic, Abuja.

The Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence, an arm of IHVN, Prof. Alash’le Abimiku, represented by the coordinator of IRCE and co-investigator on the research project, Dr. Elima Jedy-Agba, said, “The aim is to characterise the burden, prevalence and incidence of non-communicable diseases in people living with HIV. People living with HIV are living longer, getting to that age when they develop non-communicable diseases.”

Source: Punch 

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