DR. Noble Oguguo, is a medical practitioner of multiple specialization. An HIV/AIDS physician, Former Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos Chapter is also a certified expert on personal health and longevity. In this interview, the medical practitioner revealed that HIV/AIDS patients now have every reason to cool their tension, especially as its been medically proven that a concordant couple (parents with HIV/AIDS infection) have high chances of producing Negative offspring. He also said Nigeria is closer to eliminating the endemic disease in the country.Recently, there was an agreement modification between Africa and European Union on the production and supply of generic drugs. The outcome, according to pharmacists, was that such would affect the price and supply of the product, which could eventually frustrate the effective management and control of terminal diseases like TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country. What is your reaction to thisThe truth is that in life, there is nothing that is static. The agreement that was reached years back, is expected to be subject to review. A review in the context of the prevailing circumstance, the nature of the drug (antiretroviral drugs and the traditional drugs that we know are not the only drugs that are being used today). There are so many other new drugs that have been pumped into the system. And so, if a lot of new drugs are coming in then it is not expected of an agreement of several years to still stand water-tight. There might be need for a review in certain areas, vis-à-vis the fact that the prices of things globally have not remained static. The dynamics of the diseases are also evolving. Therefore, a lot of things, including pricing and regulatory issues may have justified the said modification.However, if I say a lot of things have changed, you should ask me why. Now, as an HIV physician, I can tell you that compared to ten years ago, our experience in managing the patients certainly, was a far crying from todays experience. Today, you rarely get people who come in for treatment at the terminal stage of the disease. 10 or 11 years ago, a good number of people came in with the classical number of AIDS very ill, emaciated, vomiting, mentally derailed, bed-ridden and all that. And unfortunately, we lost a good number of them in the struggle.The expected assistance is not there for us. We had to make do with a lot of manual procedure to analyse the extent of the patients condition. Today, all these rigorous exercises are minimized as the activities are now being done electronically.The level of awareness had increased and the use of condom during sexual intercourse is much higher and the concordant and discordant couples have understood their position today and they know what to do to have a negative baby. So, we have moved far ahead, especially in terms of achievement against the burden of HIV/AIDS in Africa, especially in Nigeria.What do you mean by concordant and discordant couplesWhen we talk about concordant couple, we are looking at a situation where the man is HIV/AIDS positive and the woman is positive as well. So, today, improved awareness has taken them to a level where they know that if they follow the laid down principle, they have a good life ahead of them, including anti-natal care delivery and the upbringing of the new born baby.Medically and practically proven, concordant couple have very high chances of having Negative offsprings. In fact, by the grace of God, all the babies we have delivered from HIV infected couples have been NEGATIVE. There is no magic about it, it is just doing the right thing and following the standard procedures, which have been medically researched and proven workable. A good number of this research work was done by the Royal School of Science and Gynecology and the results have been quite encouraging.However, there is bound to be a problem and that happens when a man is positive and the woman is negative and it takes two to make a baby.How will you introduce an infected sperm into a woman that is not infected Its a big challenge. However, it is a lot easier when the woman is positive and the man is negative. What you will do is that you harvest the mans sperm, which is free from infection and introduce into the woman and she gets pregnant. In fact, what we have done is to educate the woman on how to harvest the sperm and introduce it into herself and in this exercise, we have achieved several conceptions.The next challenge is, the woman is infected and the man is not. Now, how will you ensure that conception takes place without the baby being infected In this case, there are also medically proven principles, in which if properly applied could produce negative babies.Practically, how do we evaluate the achievement in relieving the burden of HIV/AIDS in Nigerians, especially in the last ten yearsThe achievement today, compared to ten years ago, is monumental. People who turn out to be HIV/AIDS positive today, unlike ten years ago, have up to 70-80 percent chances of having good quality life compared with their counterparts who claimed to be healthy and sound. This is achieved with the support of Government and international communities in the procurement of drugs, which wouldnt have been affordable for many of the patients.We lost so many of the HIV/AIDS patients in the past not because we could not manage them, but because of the non-availability of the antiretroviral and other basic drugs. So, the assistance of international agencies across the globe specifically channelled to Africa on the disease has saved us from the calamity. This unrelenting magnanimity has up till today, averted a lot of losses, which we would have suffered, in terms of manpower and children who would have become delinquent because they have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.Back in the days, the major outbreak of HIV/AIDS happened in the middle 80s and between then and now, its less than 30 years. However, it was not until ten years ago that the awareness campaign against the disease officially began. Previously, it was a dark age and we lost a lot of people to the scourge until proper diagnosis was carried out and medically researched solutions and guidelines were prescribed for its effective control and management.Before now, a lot of research have been done, which have promoted the better understanding of the disease and the appropriate medication to take care of the various opportunistic infections that occurs as a result of HIV/AIDS infection. Then, the virus itself, is being confronted with multiple antiretroviral drugs adopting a three combination approach. Sometimes, if the virus is resisting treatment, you might have as much as combination of five.With these stated achievements, is it safe to say that Nigeria is closer to eradicating HIV/AIDS from the countryWe are not close to eradicating HIV/AIDS. However, we have made tremendous progress. We have moved much farther from where we were and getting closer to the objective of possibly, eradicating HIV/AIDS. How soon or far that could be achieved, is a very tough question. But it is certainly better today where we are on the quest to manage the scourge.In the next ten years in Nigeria, we might have every reason to look at HIV/AIDS as one of the discordant diseases that ravaged our land. When Tuberculorsis came, it was like that, people were dying in their number and unfortunately, the bacteria, was not properly diagnosed and there was no adequate treatment. Also, in several villages, when somebody was diagnosed for tuberculosis, he or she would be sent to the evil forest to die. But today, TB has a standard treatment and once such is applied, one can wait for the patient to recover.Although, doctors are not God, it should be stressed that their goal was to alleviate peoples pains and prolong life. So, if a patient is billed to die this year, with proper medication and support, he or she could live another 15 to 20 years. Not only that, the doctors job is to ensure that such a person has a healthy and productive elongated life.That is one major milestone the current HIV/AIDS team in the country has been able to achieve.I have a practical example of a businessman who became so ill over time. While he was sick, the wife was carrying him from one hospital to another and because of the financial implication of such exercise, his children were dropped from school. So, he was referred to us. After admission, he was treated and three months after, he was discharged. Three months after, making the total of six months after recovery, his business had bounced back and his children returned to school. That is a good example of giving them back their healthy life but in a more productive way.
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