…as ANSACA unveils ambitious programme, to host maiden international HIV scientific symposium and statewide awareness campaign

By Uzo Ugwunze

In a renewed push to eliminate HIV/AIDS in Anambra State by 2030, the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) has unveiled an ambitious programme of activities to mark the 2026 World AIDS Day, with a strong focus on prevention, access to treatment, community engagement and the fight against stigma and discrimination.

The agency, under the leadership of its Executive Director/Project Manager, Dr. Nkem Okeke, KSC, is bringing together government institutions, development partners, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth organisations and community stakeholders to strengthen collective efforts towards ending the HIV epidemic in the state.

With the theme, “Ending AIDS Starts with Access: Equity, Ownership and Sustainability,” this year’s commemoration is designed to move beyond the usual awareness campaigns and translate commitments into concrete action.

The focus is on ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location or circumstances, has access to HIV prevention services, testing, treatment and sustained care.

As part of the activities, ANSACA has lined up a World AIDS Day press conference, its maiden International HIV Scientific Symposium, a high-level advocacy visit, an HIV awareness walk, community roadshows and a Community Champion Honorarium Dinner.

The activities will provide opportunities to share scientific knowledge, strengthen partnerships, reach more people with life-saving information and recognise individuals and organisations making outstanding contributions to HIV prevention and care.

Speaking on the preparations, the Executive Director/Project Manager, Dr. Okeke, said the agency was determined to make the 2026 commemoration a turning point in the state’s HIV response, stressing that ending AIDS would require sustained commitment and active participation from all sectors of society.

“Our message is clear: ending AIDS is possible, but it requires more than promises. We must take HIV prevention to every community, make testing and treatment accessible to everyone, confront stigma wherever it exists and build a sustainable, community-driven response. No one must be left behind,” said Okeke.

Dr. Okeke also acknowledged the commitment of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, noting that the agency’s initiatives align with his administration’s emphasis on human capital development, accessible healthcare and building a healthier and more productive Anambra State.

He called on traditional institutions, faith-based organisations, tertiary institutions, civil society groups, the private sector, development partners and residents across the state to take ownership of the campaign and participate actively in the activities scheduled for December 1, 2026.

ANSACA also stressed the importance of correcting misconceptions about HIV, reminding the public that an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. With early diagnosis, access to effective antiretroviral treatment and consistent medical care, people living with HIV can enjoy healthy, fulfilling and productive lives.

As Anambra joins the global community to commemorate World AIDS Day, the agency is renewing its commitment to a future where new HIV infections are prevented, AIDS-related deaths are eliminated, and no one is subjected to stigma or discrimination because of their HIV status.

For ANSACA, the goal is clear: an HIV-free Anambra by 2030, built on three fundamental commitments — Zero New HIV Infections, Zero AIDS-Related Deaths, and Zero Stigma and Discrimination.

… Decry marginalization, career stagnation/educational regulatory framework

By Uzo Ugwunze

Pharmacy Technicians in Nigeria have called for stronger collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to close professional borders, combat quackery and eliminate fake drugs across the country.

The National President of the Reformed Forum of Pharmacy Technicians in Nigeria (RFPTN), Pharm. Tech. Shagba Humphrey T., made the call while delivering an address at the ongoing 99th PSN Annual National Conference, IJELÉ ’26, in Awka, Anambra State, describing it as the first-ever official appearance and address of Pharmacy Technicians at the PSN conference.

Shagba commended the PSN President, Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba, for his visionary and inclusive leadership, noting that the partnership between both bodies has grown through sustained engagement, from the hosting of former PSN President, Pharm. Cyril Usifoh, at RFPTN’s first national conference to the invitation of the RFPTN leadership to PSN events in Abuja and Lagos.

However, he decried the decades-long career stagnation facing Pharmacy Technicians, who he said spend 30 to 35 years in service and retire with the same National Diploma they started with, unlike other health cadres who enjoy progression from ND to HND, PGD and Masters, and called for clear academic pathways under the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) to restore dignity and productivity.

Shagba lamented that pharmacy practice in Nigeria has become dangerously porous, with doctors, lawyers, bankers, nurses and even SSCE holders operating Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and community outlets, while trained and PCN-certified Pharmacy Technicians are restricted, stressing that all pharmaceutical service points should be manned exclusively by pharmacists and certified technicians.

He said Pharmacy Technicians are ready to serve as the primary operational link in digital supply chain integrity, cold chain management and anti-counterfeiting, as well as frontline providers in hundreds of rural communities where they already deliver pharmaceutical care.

The RFPTN president listed the forum’s demands to include setting Pharmacy Technician qualification as the minimum legal baseline for dispensing medicines, integration of certified technicians into PCN inspection and enforcement teams for grassroots anti-quackery, deployment in Primary Health Care centres under task-shifting policies, and institutional synergy under the conference theme “One Health, One Pharmacy: Bridging Knowledge, Practice and Policy for National Impact.”

He concluded that Nigeria cannot achieve Universal Health Coverage, eliminate drug quackery or secure its pharmaceutical supply chain while leaving its primary mid-level technical workforce marginalized, pledging the commitment of Pharmacy Technicians to remain competent, ethical and disciplined pillars of pharmaceutical care.

Earlier in his welcome address, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba,
speaking under the theme, “One Health, One Pharmacy: Bridging Knowledge, Practice and Policy for National Impact,” said the conference reaffirms the profession’s commitment to responsive, evidence-based healthcare, noting that human, animal and environmental health are interconnected and require coordinated action across professions and sectors.

He emphasized the need to advance pharmacy practice through structured postgraduate training, clinical collaboration and recognition of the Consultant Pharmacist cadre, citing partnerships with WASPEN and the International Pharmacy Practice Residency Programme as vital steps to improving patient care and health system performance.

Ayuba also called for full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines and completion of Coordinated Wholesale Centres to fight counterfeit and substandard medicines, while urging stronger partnership with government, academia and industry ahead of the Society’s centenary in 2027 to build a more resilient, equitable and responsive health system.

By Our Reporter

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it expects to complete monitoring of the 62 contacts traced to an imported Ebola case by November 13.

The agency stated this in its Ebola disease situation report published on Thursday.

“Contacts are expected to complete follow-up by November. Expected completion dates range from 31 Oct to 13 Nov 2026,” the report reads.

NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring would continue.

It added that additional contact tracers had been mapped and trained to strengthen surveillance.

The agency relayed that it would “engage and assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to the quarantine facility”.

“Continue follow-up of contacts in quarantine, continue contact tracing and monitoring,” NCDC said.

The agency shared that the scope and strategy for identifying contacts had been reviewed and expanded.

It said the case definitions for Ebola disease had also been reviewed to improve the identification and management of suspected infections.

The report further listed plans to review guidelines on contact tracing, self-quarantine, self-care kits and the Ebola call protocol.

The NCDC said it would also develop an Ebola disease dashboard on the surveillance outbreak response management and analysis system (SORMAS), to improve contact management.

The agency said the National Incident Management System (IMS) had been activated.

It said the implementation of prioritised response activities continues across thematic areas, while the Incident Action Plan had been finalised.

The agency added that a high-level stakeholder meeting had been held with partner agencies to strengthen coordination, resource mobilisation and accountability in the response.

In October, the federal government said it had recorded a confirmed case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, identified 44 close contacts for tracing to prevent further transmission.

According to the minister, the patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.

Nigeria’s index Ebola case was later evacuated to Switzerland for further treatment.

On October 31, the NCDC announced that two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in the north-east.

The NCDC said the individuals have been isolated while contact identification and listing is ongoing.

It added that laboratory testing is also being conducted.

On Sunday, the NCDC said there are currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases in Adamawa.