Today is 14th February 2023. It is a Valentine’s Day. It is a season to share and show love to friends and family.
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.
It originated as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
It is on this very occasion that The Director General, of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Dr Gambo Aliyu, has dropped some advice for the world and Nigerians as the country joins the rest of the world to celebrate Valentine’s day.
Addressing Nigerians during an event in Abuja, Aliyu told Nigerians to take advantage of the spirit of love and togetherness that the day signifies, to know their HIV status.
He added that youths can express love within the context of caring deeply for their loved ones with the intention of protecting them from all forms of harm and avoiding risk factors that will make them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other STIs.
He wrote this online
This occasion though significant in the lives of people globally, brings a lot of cause to worry about, as the expression of love, especially among adolescents, youths and other diverse populations most often falls out of context.
?This period is observed to witness a high rate of indiscriminate sexual activities and other amoral behaviours that lead to uninformed decisions among many. This development most often than not exposes many people to a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections.
?As we express love for our partners during this Valentine?s Day, remember to love wisely. As members of a wider society your health and productivity count to your nuclear and extended families and the entire country. Nigeria stands to benefit from the pool of your contributions. So I urge you to desist from practices that might expose you to risks of contracting HIV/AIDS and/or other sexually transmitted diseases as we commemorate these special days. Once again I urge you to love wisely, share love, and not the virus.
?It is essential to reduce the trend of new HIV infection in Nigerian youths through preaching abstinence, and for those who cannot abstain, to use condoms which prevent STIs including HIV and unwanted pregnancies.
?It has become important to ensure condom option is made available as a preventive measure to youths and people of reproductive age who cannot abstain from sex, with new HIV infections highest among young people aged 15-24 years and with the national data suggesting that about 4.2 percent of young people (ages 15-24) are living with HIV.
?As we express love on this day, remember to love wisely. As members of the wider society, your health and productivity are vital to the future of our country. So, I urge you to avoid risky behaviours as we commemorate Valentine?s Day. Love Wisely, Share Love not HIV