Religious leaders have been told not to discourage their members, who are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) from taking Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), in the hope that doing so will compromise their faith. This was the admonition of participants at the ongoing five-day workshop in Lagos organised by the World Council of Churches in collaboration with the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN). They noted that poor adherence to treatment by HIV patients has the potential to negatively impact outcome of treatment efforts. She encouraged stakeholders to find ways to increase HIV treatment adherence and address challenges brought by faith leaders, who discourage people living with HIV from utilising ART. She urged religious leaders to use the pulpit to enlighten members on adherence to HIV protocol and treatment.

Source: The Guardian April 29, 2021 04:58 UTC