Worried about the recent rise in Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV), especially among young adults and newborn babies, stakeholders are brainstorming at a co-creation meeting, in Abuja, to “Assess Communication Gaps and Opportunities for the HIV Response in Nigeria.”
   
The meeting is being put together by the United States President’s Emergency Preparedness Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through its partner Henry Jackson Foundation Medical Research International (HJFMRI) Ltd in collaboration with Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria and Living Health International.
     
National Coordinator, JAAIDS, Laide Akanni, said the five-day meeting, which is the first in a series of conversations aimed at identifying the gaps across diverse media channels, the emerging HIV trends and format needed to disseminate these key messages across the diverse media platforms.   
   
“This meeting promises to be very engaging as it brings together journalists, programme implementers, affected communities, religious leaders, communication specialists, academics as well as government agencies, development partners and other key stakeholders to review progress and provide strategic direction,” she said.
   
The meeting, which started on Monday October 30 will conclude tomorrow, Friday November 3.
   
Coordinator HJFMRI programme in Nigeria with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to bridge the communication gap on HIV, Dooshima Uganden-Okonkwo, said HJF Medical Research International has been working to advance scientific and medical research since 2001. She said the HJFMRI team leverages its global infrastructure to understand, prevent, and treat infectious diseases and respond rapidly to emerging outbreaks that threaten global public health. 
   
She said, working side-by-side with researchers, HJFMRI provides a wide range of services that facilitate laboratory research, scientific trials, clinical care, training, capacity-building, facility and laboratory management, and more. From mentoring small entities to managing large consortiums, HJFMRI partners with leading medical research organisations, universities, foundations, and private industry partners to identify, prevent, and treat diseases around the world.  
     
Uganden-Okonkwo said: “We are a global leader in international medical research programs related to infectious diseases, such as antimicrobial resistance, HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections, febrile and vector-borne illnesses, malaria, Ebola, enteric infections, respiratory infections, and—most recently—SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). HJFMRI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HJF,” she said.
   
She said the five-day meeting is one of the many programmes the foundation plans to sponsor by engaging CSOs to assess and bridge the communication gaps on HIV behavioural change, attitude and education.