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Ahead of the consummation of a state-sponsored mass wedding in Kano, the Hisbah Board has uncovered health conditions among intended couples, including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, as well as those carrying an early pregnancy.
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Hisbah’s spokesperson, Lawan Ibrahim Fagge told The Guardian that majority of those found with the conditions came to realize their status for the first time after they were subjected to medical tests.
The NNPP government re-introduce the mass wedding initiative with 3,600 men and women selected to benefit government funding to set up their matrimonial home. The state government has approved N800 million budgeted for the mass wedding as part of palliatives.
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The Director General of the Board, Barrister Abba Sufi, had told journalists plans to sponsor a bill that mandates pre-marital screening to determine the health status of couples.
According to him, the laws will allow anyone found with diseases like HIV and other conditions will be advised appropriately, while those with other ailments that could be treated will be placed on medication immediately.
“The discovery has proven the importance of the pre-marital screening, and this has made it important for us not to take things for granted. For instance, what we discovered during the screen is because we mandated it,” Sufi said. “Only God knows the number of children that are going to be born as sickle cell patients, and so many diseases will also be transmitted among people.”
Sufi added that in Islam, it was haram (forbidden) for pregnant women to get married, adding that so far the board had completed the screening of 1,600 people from the 44 LGAs of the state.
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