TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN writes about how robust medical interventions offered fresh hope to HIV positive parents in Bauchi State helping them to give birth to HIV negative babies

Thirty- six - year - old Zainab has nursed a secret pain for 15 years caused by the loss of a child . The pain was compounded by the collapse of her first marriage.

Since then, the soft- spoken woman had given marriage a wide berth . But her fears crumbled like a pack of cards when cupid shot its arrow.
Zainab told our correspondent that she met her husband through a friend during a visit to a hospital to get drugs .

She said after the meeting, they got talking and she later discovered that he was also HIV positive . According to her, they courted for some time and got married in 2013 .

The woman said she never thought hope could come her way after her first marriage experience. She stated , “ I discovered that I was positive several years ago . I first got married in 2005 before my husband and the child I had died.

“ It was during my ex- husband’ s last days on earth that I found out I was also HIV positive . He was sick for a long time and admitted at a teaching hospital and it was there that the tests were conducted. The sickness affected him such that it became a psychiatric problem. It was at the time that it was discovered that he was positive and placed on drugs .

“ Then , the drugs were usually brought from Gombe State. Later on , he was asked to come with his wife to also conducted test on her. That was when it was discovered that I was also positive . I was placed on cotrimoxazole for about three years .

“ I didn ’ t know that I can fall in love again . I was happy when love found me again and especially after the birth of my son , Murtala . I have a new hope , ’’ she told our correspondent as she adjusted the short , black veil caressing her happy face .

Zainab ’s baby is HIV negative. Seven- month - old Murtala looked beautiful and healthy in his brown shirt and short as he smiled at our correspondent , struggling to leave her mother ’ s arms .

Zainab said her son has never shown any strange illness since birth , only some teething- related issues peculiar to children of his age.

She said , “ When I got pregnant , I decided to take a step further to confirm that I was pregnant . I went for a scan which confirmed I was pregnant . For me , it was a mixed feeling because I was excited that I was pregnant . At the same time , I was scared because of my status . I approached the HIV/ AIDS control department of the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis , Leprosy and Malaria and I was advised to register for antenatal immediately.

“ When I went to the health facility , I registered and was told to return two months after . The doctors told me that they will fix me in a team . During antenatal classes, I told the doctors that the last time I gave birth was 15 years ago and they predicted that I would give birth through caesarean section but I refused . I told them that the only reason I would accept was if there was a complication . ”

Continue Reading: https://www.hgsmediaplus.com.ng/2018/12/heroes-in-birth-inspiring-tales-of-hiv.html?m=1

GOD over every thing.

Hmmhmmm

Wow

cenaman:
GOD over every thing.

I’m not an atheist. But this comment is stupid

Whenever I look at how far the world has moved (leaving us behind while we are delibrating on toothpick factory and masquerade tourism, my spirit weeps for this nation.

However, news like this makes me think that we are not completely useless afterall. We are just unfortunately led by useless people.


Education has not help our minds. You need to see a Muslim professor trying so hard to prove religion (and most of what he is saying cannot stand in light of intellectual probing. Or a Christian professor trying to state what he may not be able to answer. A vice Chancellor who thinks aircondition in lecture theatres are luxuries. A governor that empower his people with polish, cobler's pack and others, wheelbarrow.

Take away oil from Nigeria economy, then we will enter into leathal distress in less than 3 months.


Is this what we are? Some unfortunate group?

Jesus is calling you today.... Repent don't delay your salvation anymore

Jonathan:

I’m not an atheist. But this comment is stupid

re-read the post then u will understand my comment.

Because of Buhari

Confused Story! Spits!!!

Hmm

AIDS IS REAL.

tsephanyah:
Because of Buhari

How have you been?

Hope at last... -ve peep should take caution n practice safe sex.

Heroes in birth: Inspiring tales of HIV negative Bauchi kids born by women living with HIV/AIDS
HGS MEDIA PLUS December 23, 2018 News


TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN writes about how robust medical interventions offered fresh hope to HIV positive parents in Bauchi State helping them to give birth to HIV negative babies

Thirty- six - year - old Zainab has nursed a secret pain for 15 years caused by the loss of a child . The pain was compounded by the collapse of her first marriage.

Since then, the soft- spoken woman had given marriage a wide berth . But her fears crumbled like a pack of cards when cupid shot its arrow.
Zainab told our correspondent that she met her husband through a friend during a visit to a hospital to get drugs .

She said after the meeting, they got talking and she later discovered that he was also HIV positive . According to her, they courted for some time and got married in 2013 .

The woman said she never thought hope could come her way after her first marriage experience. She stated , “ I discovered that I was positive several years ago . I first got married in 2005 before my husband and the child I had died.

“ It was during my ex- husband’ s last days on earth that I found out I was also HIV positive . He was sick for a long time and admitted at a teaching hospital and it was there that the tests were conducted. The sickness affected him such that it became a psychiatric problem. It was at the time that it was discovered that he was positive and placed on drugs .

“ Then , the drugs were usually brought from Gombe State. Later on , he was asked to come with his wife to also conducted test on her. That was when it was discovered that I was also positive . I was placed on cotrimoxazole for about three years .

“ I didn ’ t know that I can fall in love again . I was happy when love found me again and especially after the birth of my son , Murtala . I have a new hope , ’’ she told our correspondent as she adjusted the short , black veil caressing her happy face .

Zainab ’s baby is HIV negative. Seven- month - old Murtala looked beautiful and healthy in his brown shirt and short as he smiled at our correspondent , struggling to leave her mother ’ s arms .

Zainab said her son has never shown any strange illness since birth , only some teething- related issues peculiar to children of his age.

She said , “ When I got pregnant , I decided to take a step further to confirm that I was pregnant . I went for a scan which confirmed I was pregnant . For me , it was a mixed feeling because I was excited that I was pregnant . At the same time , I was scared because of my status . I approached the HIV/ AIDS control department of the Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis , Leprosy and Malaria and I was advised to register for antenatal immediately.

“ When I went to the health facility , I registered and was told to return two months after . The doctors told me that they will fix me in a team . During antenatal classes, I told the doctors that the last time I gave birth was 15 years ago and they predicted that I would give birth through caesarean section but I refused . I told them that the only reason I would accept was if there was a complication . ”

Joys amid fears

Zainab who shed tears of joy as she narrated her story said she eventually gave birth through normal delivery.

She continued , “ I kept attending antenatal classes , and took medications as prescribed. On the day I was in labour , I felt funny and wasn’ t sure I was going through labour at first . I continued with the chores in the house. When I could no longer bear it , I went to the hospital and they confirmed that I was in labour . Since I was duly registered and I took medications religiously , I was attended to.

“ I spent about eight hours in the labour room and to the glory of God , I was delivered of a baby boy . Immediately I gave birth , he was given a drop of nevirapine and transferred to the paediatric department . ’’

She said the nevirapine suspension was taken for six weeks and they returned to the hospital thereafter .

She added , “ We took the 2 . 5 millilitres daily for six weeks . After returning to the hospital and we met the doctor, a sample was taken for durable viral suppression in a minute at the side laboratory of the paediatric section and was sent for T- cell Receptor (TCR ). We were told that since he had finished taking the nevirapine suspension , he would also take disposable cotrimoxazol for children one tab daily , and it is 120mg .’’

The woman said after taking the tablet for two months, they returned to see the doctor for follow up. The woman stated, “ After six months, they said we would continue with cotrimoxazo two tabs daily because his weight had increased and would be able to take two tabs . That is the situation at the moment . I can ’ t express how joyful I am watching my son grow healthily . ’’
Like all other persons living with HIV/ AIDS, Zainab had experienced stigmatization , but she noted that she was able to cope with support from her family members .

Zainab said she couldn’ t thank God enough as the test carried out showed that her son was negative, promising to keep the next doctor’ s appointment on January 4 , 2019 .

The Bauchi State Coordinator, Network of People Living with HIV /AIDS, Dr . Usman Zikko, in partnership with the state Agency for the Control of HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis , Leprosy and Malaria, have over the years been assisting HIV positive couples to give birth to children without the virus.
Zikko said Zainab is among the parents of the 72 babies born healthy despite their parents ’ medical status .

He said , “ BACATMA is in charge of supporting , especially through funding, of people who are HIV positive in the state . We have wedded about 167 couples . ’’

Like Murtala , Eneh ’ s 18 - month - old daughter , Faridah also came out of his mother ’ s womb victorious without medical defects .

The 36 - year - old mother of five according to report said that her husband and her five children were all negative .

She said her husband adhered to instructions which helped her to give birth to healthy and HIV negative babies .

Eneh explained that before she became pregnant , she checked her CD4 and it showed the CD 4 count high and normal viral level. Online medical sources define CD4 ( cluster of differentiation 4) as the glycoprotein found on the surface of immune cells like T- helper cells , monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells .

According to her, when she started having pregnancy symptoms, she went for a test which confirmed that she was pregnant .

She added , “ After I resumed antenatal and I joined the Mother -to- Child - Transmission , I followed up by taking drugs . I took antiretroviral drugs up to when I completed antenatal .
“ There ’ s another drug I was given apart the ART . I took it till the ninth month of pregnancy and I was told that when it is time for delivery, I should come to the hospital . I did and as my fifth child , she also turned out HIV negative .

“ I was delivered of the baby normally and I was told to administer nevirapine on her for six weeks . After that , we returned to the hospital and they did PCR for her. After three months when the PCR came out, she was found to be negative .
Bauchi kids born by women living with HIV / AIDS
“ After one year, we went back again and they did the second PCR and it was still negative and after she clocked 18 months, we went and they carried out rapid test on her, and it was negative . We were then discharged .’’

Eneh said she was the only one who is HIV positive , yet her husband who is negative still treats her like a queen.

The woman , who is from Benue State, explained that she met her husband when he was posted to the state for the mandatory one - year National Youth Service Corps scheme .

“ We got married without carrying out any test . I was HIV positive without either of us knowing . It was when the pregnancy was three months and I started having persistent fever that we went to a hospital and a test showed I was positive .

“ I begged him to divorce me but he refused . He said it was useless because he could have also been infected . He said we should keep it a secret between us .

“ We have been together for 10 years and have five kids together . All the kids and him are HIV negative. I am the only one on drugs , ” she stated .

Hadijah was like a baby who couldn’ t contain her joy upon receiving candies as gifts as she was all smiles when our correspondent approached her. Her two - year- old son , Shehu , is negative despite his parents being HIV positive.

Hadijah said she consistently took some prescribed antiretroviral drugs , adding she and other women in her situation adhered with the doctors’ advice on ways to protect themselves to have healthy babies .

She further said she also had a normal delivery due to the training received at the facility .
The woman who continued to laugh as she spoke said they were taught how to give birth without having any problems .

She noted , “ First of all , our CD 4 must be high before we get pregnant and the virus in our system must be low . When these are in place, a woman will not have any problems when pregnant and we are able to give birth to healthy children .

“ Before I was pregnant , my CD4 was over 970 and viral load was not more than 18 , so I got pregnant . The pregnancy is usually calculated and monitored by medical professionals. My colleagues and I attended antenatal religiously and we were given everything we needed to have healthy deliveries . My baby was given his first immunisation at six weeks . ’’

Hadijah also practised exclusive breastfeeding on her son and didn ’ t give him water or any other watery food that could be a problem to him .

“ After six months, he was placed on septrin though I was also taking that before then. I continued to take care of him based on the instructions and guidelines that I was given by the doctors. When he was 12 months, we went for another test , and he was discovered to be healthy . He was negative and that was it . His file has been closed because not infected with the HIV virus ,’’ she stated .

Hadijah urged HIV positive women without children not to see their condition as a death sentence, noting that her baby had never been sick for once since his birth .

She said , “ My baby ’s things are separated from ours and I try not to mingle our things with his or have blood or saliva contact with him . ’’

Joys of motherhood

Zainab , Eneh and Hadijah are still basking in the euphoria of nursing healthy , HIV negative babies in spite of their own medical condition .
Eneh said , “ I became extremely excited when my baby was not infected by the virus . I am happy with the success story . I went from being a widow, HIV positive to being a happy wife and a mother of five HIV negative children . I was overjoyed because I didn ’ t know this can happen as I am not a health practitioner . ’’

She said that she was ready to continue doing everything required medically to build on the health of her child .

For 29 - year- old Hadijah , she was yet to get over the joy heralding the state of her son .
She said , “ Honestly , though I am aware of my medical situation , I am excited knowing that my son is healthy and will live without any problems .’’

Narrating how she got to her current state, the woman told our correspondent that she lost her first marriage because of her status , adding that he ex , who was also positive , couldn ’t manage the situation and that led to the breakdown of their marriage.

Hadijah said they had several disagreements on how to manage their condition and lead a healthy life.

She said , “ I was troubled but what encouraged me was that I knew nobody can escape what God has destined . We got married without conducting any medical tests.

“ After marriage , little issues kept cropping up and we got sick often . It was so complicated. I think my ex -husband was aware of his medical status all along . In fact , it is one of the reasons why our marriage started having crisis. When I met my present husband, we understood and accepted each other and I felt living with him would be better since we both knew our medical condition .

“ I was receiving treatment and that was where I met him . One thing led to another and we planned to get married. We got married in 2012 and we had our first child in 2016 . ’’

Report observed that all the woman were either cagey talking about how they contracted the HIV virus or truthfully unaware of how they did .
‘ We love our parents despite their medical condition ’

There are grown ups among the HIV negative children whose parents are living with HIV / AIDS. Our correspondent went in search of them and pleaded with their parents to speak with them .
One of them, Godiya , said she was initially not aware of what was wrong with her parents as they always took drugs .

The 10 - year - old said she always eat same food with them and have never felt different towards them .

She said , “ They take good care of me and show me love . I appreciate them because they go the extra mile to take care of me . ”

Also, Godiya said she noticed that her mother was always careful of keeping used sharp objects .
She said it was because of how she kept sharp objects that she became curious and later got to know what was wrong . “ I don’ t use their razor blades , their ’s is different from mine . If my mother cuts her nails , she always throws away the used razor blade . I attend a normal school and nobody looks down on me , ’’ she said .

For seven- year - old Habibah she understood the pains her parents went through to have her and it would be insensitive to discriminate against them .

Habibah said , “ I don’ t stigmatise them because if I do so, I would give those not related to them to do worse . I have to do everything to make them happy because I often see that they are happy every time they see me as I am their joy. ’’
On his part , 12 - year - old Malik said separating meal in the house would be tantamount to stigmatising against her parents .

He said , “ We all eat the same kind of food , nobody is treated differently. Whatever food is prepared is what we all eat . They are loving and caring. I usually feel bad sometime knowing that they have incurable disease but it is a situation that I cannot help .’’

Malik said he was always sad seeing his parents taking drugs constantly , adding that he was however grateful that they did everything medically possible to ensure he turned out HIV negative .

He added , “ I am usually unhappy because they are HIV/ AIDS positive. Since I am not positive , I try to do my best for them ’’
The identities of the women and babies have been protected .

From despair to hope

Explaining how the procedure was done , Zikko said such couples usually have sex using condom except when trying for babies, noting that there is usually a method for that .


Zikko

He said , “ The couple mostly meet themselves at the clinic while collecting their drugs or they meet during the group meetings . They usually come together in small groups to address issues that affect them . The man will see the woman and will make his intention known if he likes her.

“ After the couples have agreed to marry, they will come to BACATMA, Bauchi to apply for funds to get married. If it is the man that is applying , the application is usually for money to pay the bride price. But if it is a woman that is applying , she will ask for money to buy some household items like mattress , kitchen utensils or furniture for the home .

“ To get the fund, they will have to make a photocopy of their ARV clinic hand card ; the card is usually signed by the coordinator every time they attend a meeting. We will then confirm from the department if truly they had been undergoing treatments and they meet th

'It shall no longer be said of thee that the fathers ate grape and the teeth of the children is set on edge.' Your life is a fulfilment of this scripture dear kids.

post=74091395:

How have you been?

Awesome! How are you?

This is a normal thing na

It was during my ex- husband’ s last days on earth that I found out I was also HIV positive . He was sick for a long time and admitted at a teaching hospital and it was there that the tests were conducted
So sad

tsephanyah:
Awesome! How are you?

Very good too.
Good to see you.
We talk better later, so that we wont derail the thread.
Be good sis.

Serious education is needed to ensure the parents dont share things like blade with the child. Happy that it was not transmitted to the baby at birth.

cenaman:
GOD over every thing.

Na God give dem hiv?
Or the technology?
Will you stfu!

post=74092045:
It was during my ex- husband’ s last days on earth that I found out I was also HIV positive . He was sick for a long time and admitted at a teaching hospital and it was there that the tests were conducted
So sad


Very good too.
Good to see you.
We talk better later, so that we wont derail the thread.
Be good sis.

Alright.

ehinmowo:
Whenever I look at how far the world has moved (leaving us behind while we are delibrating on toothpick factory and masquerade tourism, my spirit weeps for this nation.

However, news like this makes me think that we are not completely useless afterall. We are just unfortunately led by useless people.


Education has not help our minds. You need to see a Muslim professor trying so hard to prove religion (and most of what he is saying cannot stand in light of intellectual probing. Or a Christian professor trying to state what he may not be able to answer. A vice Chancellor who thinks aircondition in lecture theatres are luxuries. A governor that empower his people with polish, cobler's pack and others, wheelbarrow.

Take away oil from Nigeria economy, then we will enter into leathal distress in less than 3 months.


Is this what we are? Some unfortunate group?

This is the main reason I pity the foolish set of people fhafe keep hailing and recycling old terrorist and criminals all In the name of tribe and religion.

Sometimes I.think of Nigeria can wake up one day but the probability is low. Despite the challenges we are facing since this people has been ruling us, some set of people still talking as of.they don't knw that Malaysia become beautiful country today all in.the name of Nigeria, Singapore and Nigeria gain independent same day. Keep shouting atikulate and buhari, ur children will continue from where u stopped

Ben73324:
���

Looking at the comment section on this SCAM post:

"Stephen MONTHLY"
"Nnamdi WEEKLY"
"Bolaji MONTHLY"
"Chukwu WEEKLY"
"Hassan MOMTHLY"
"Michael DAILY"

Who is this fool trying to deceive?

AIDs is real, I seen rich parents life cut short cuz of this virus in most cases living kids orphan. The decisions and choices we make today will determine whether our kids eat tomorrow or be homeless and living in the streets.

my 2cents

ehinmowo:
Whenever I look at how far the world has moved (leaving us behind while we are delibrating on toothpick factory and masquerade tourism, my spirit weeps for this nation.

However, news like this makes me think that we are not completely useless afterall. We are just unfortunately led by useless people.


Education has not help our minds. You need to see a Muslim professor trying so hard to prove religion (and most of what he is saying cannot stand in light of intellectual probing. Or a Christian professor trying to state what he may not be able to answer. A vice Chancellor who thinks aircondition in lecture theatres are luxuries. A governor that empower his people with polish, cobler's pack and others, wheelbarrow.

Take away oil from Nigeria economy, then we will enter into leathal distress in less than 3 months.


Is this what we are? Some unfortunate group?

Trust me taking away oil from us will bring the much needed reawakening we've all prayed for. You've said it all.....we are not completely useless afterall just that we are unfortunate to be led by useless and clueless buffoons!
We need to come together.....men of like minds, and see what can be salvaged from this debacle we find ourselves.

Inspiring ....

god hates condoms

use it