Free contraceptive policy and HIV/AIDS prevalence

Why free contraceptive policy would raise HIV/AIDS prevalence to 35% in Nigeria  - GPA

By Academician Prince Dr Philip C. Njemanze

The Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) in a press briefing warns that, the Federal Government of Nigeria Policy to distribute Free Contraceptives supported by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) is spreading HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa. The study was originally first published in a book by Philip C. Njemanze, titled: Igbo Mediators of YAHWEH Culture of Life, Xlibris, London, (2015). The analysis of HIV/Prevalence and Modern Contraceptive Use in 36 Sub-Saharan African Countries revealed startling findings that, use of modern contraceptives led to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study utilized data for Sub-Saharan Africa from the World Contraceptive Use, 2005, by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, United Nations. The promotion of condom use and other contraceptives (which are steroids that lower immunity) has actually increased HIV rates in African countries including in Nigeria. The current Free Contraceptive Policy aims at 50% rise in contraceptive use in the population, which is projected to increase by 35% of HIV/AIDS prevalence.  Academician Prince Dr Philip C. Njemanze MD (Hons) who is the chairman of the GPA, told journalists that ‘the Free Contraceptive Policy is the most dangerous public health measure ever undertaken at this scale in the world'.

The first target is to achieve Nigeria's goal of a 36% contraceptive prevalence rate by 2018, the government of Nigeria committed an additional US $8,350,000 annually which totals US $33.4 million over the next four years for contraceptive procurement. The Federal Ministry of Health now allows community health extension workers (CHEWs) to provide injectable contraception and encourages the Nigeria state Ministries of Health to scale up this practice. Research data obtained from 3790 HIV-1 serodiscordant couples  in sub-Saharan Africa has shown that hormonal contraceptives such as Depo-Provera injections given every three months exposes women to 40% higher risk of HIV infection [Heffron, et al., 2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266951/ ]. Ongoing advocacy continues amongst a strong coalition of contraception-family planning pro-choice groups who are members of the Reproductive Health Security Stakeholder Committee, the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) (supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and the Family Planning Action Group (supported by Advance Family Planning and the Health Policy Project of the Futures Group International).

Answering a question from a journalist, that the policy was purportedly justified by the UNFPA report that Nigeria would by 2050 become that third largest population in the World, Academician Njemanze said, that is ‘just another fake news' to deceive Nigerians.  Njemanze argued, ‘this ignores the fact that, Nigeria has a modest population density of 167 per sq Km, and on the 73^rd position in the list of population density by countries in the World (2015), way below most European and Asian countries' (https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_density ). The critical population density associated with rapid economic and social development is 300 per sq Km. The only African country that has attained the critical population density for development is Rwanda at 380 per sq Km, (31^st position in the World), and has the highest economic growth of 7%, in the past three years in Africa. If the present rate of growth is sustained, Rwanda will be the first African country to join the developed countries of the world in about a decade. The population density target for Nigeria, should be to attain the critical threshold of 300 per sq Km, as in India, China and other Asian countries (Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea). Njemanze called on the Federal Government to immediately terminate the Free Contraceptive Policy, and institute a policy to support families. Journalists insisted that the original source data be made public. Dr Njemanze obliged by providing the table and figures used in his book Igbo Mediators of Yahweh Culture of Life below without copyright restrictions.

Table 2. RHI database from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS for Africa, 2006.

                §World Bank Per capita income 2007.                                                           

Figure 1. Shows that increased use of modern contraceptives increases HIV-1 prevalence. (Data Source: RHI database from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS for Africa, 2006; Graph culled from book: Igbo Mediators of Yahweh Culture of Life, Xlibris London, 2015. With permission.)

The writer is the chairman of the Global Prolife Alliance (GPA).

July 2, 2017.