Proper disposal of biomedical wastes and other associated materials remains critical to the ending the scourge of the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), the Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) has said.

President of WAMASON, Chief Akpabio Esien, AmbGW said this in a statement he personally signed and made exclusively available to Kristina Reports on December 1, 2022, as the world commemorates World AIDS Day 2022.  

World AIDS Day, which is observed annually on every 1^st of December, has the theme for this year’s commemoration as “Equalize to End AIDS”. It provides an avenue for the convergence of efforts at determining the disease burden and sero-prevalence with a view to amplifying measures to checkmate the epidemic.

Chief Esien, AmbGW expressed concern that provision of preventative and treatment services under the HIV AIDS project is expected to generate infectious biomedical wastes such as sharps such as infected needles and syringes, surgical equipment, intravenous (IV) infusion sets, infected blood, HIV test kits used in voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centres, blood banks and laboratories and pharmaceutical wastes.

He expressed the view that these wastes, if not managed and disposed properly, can have direct environmental and public health implications, pointing out that available statistics show that healthcare workers (HCW) are at great risk as most blood-borne occupational infections occur through injuries from sharps contaminated with blood through accidents or unsafe practices.

He, therefore, called for systematic management of such clinical wastes from source to disposal, asserting that this was integral to prevention of infection and control of the epidemic.

The WAMASON President encouraged individuals to engage in protecting the Earth from imminent but avoidable devastation as a result of poor waste management practices through awareness campaigns by the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“Enforcement of rules, laws, policies and regulations guiding waste management in the country should be reassessed”.

WAMASON’s focus is on developing the waste management industry and practice is to protect public health, control pollution, conserve ecological resources, and contribute to the generation of energy for national economic development.