… IHVN calls for collaborative action, sustained investment, innovative approaches
By Hassan Zaggi
The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has decried what it described as the low coverage of Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) and paediatric HIV despite the commendable progress made by Nigeria in other areas of HIV prevention.
The Director General of NACA, Dr.Temitope Ilori, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja in preparation for the 2024 World AIDS Day.
This year’s World AIDS Day is with the theme, “Take the Rights Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV among Children to End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030”,
Dr. Ilori revealed that despite the country’s progress, PMTCT and paediatric HIV coverage remains below 33%, which according to her, is well below the 95% target. “Following comprehensive data analysis in 2021, we joined the international initiative and developed the Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in Children. The plan is fully resourced, yet coverage continues to fall short,” she further lamented.
While noting that Nigeria has HIV prevalence of 1.4% among general population, 15-64 years with an estimated 2 million people living with HIV, the country, she stressed continues to face a significant challenge in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The UNAIDS 2023 report shows that approximately 160,000 children aged 0-14 are living with HIV, with 22.000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurring each year.
In order to address this ugly situation, Dr. Ilori said: “The Minister of State for Health recently established a national-level acceleration committee to track implementation and I have paid advocacy visits and inaugurated State committees in three states engaging directly with 3 governors to support the launch and resourcing of a similar committee at the state level, ensuring that no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria. This will go around the 36 States and FCT in due course.
“Furthermore, my team has been engaging with all critical stakeholders in the HIV response in co-creating a sustainability roadmap which intends to sustain our gains within the HIV response and put government mandated structures at the centre of programme implementation in the states.
“This roadmap, among other things, will ensure that in the event of donor support withdrawal, the country is secured health-wise and socially as regards HIV and associated diseases.”
Commenting on the challenges bedeviling the fight against the disease, the NACA Director General revealed that at the top most are dwindling donor funding, gaps in service delivery, HIV related stigma and discrimination, and rising needs in vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons.
She insisted that there is the need to intensify efforts to scale up prevention of mother-to-child transmission services nationwide; promote universal access to free antenatal care, abolish user fees for PMTCT services nationwide, and reach pregnant women where they are in the community and expand health insurance schemes to include comprehensive HIV care for everyone.
Speaking, the Chief Executive Office (CEO) of IHVN, Dr Patrick Dakum, called on all stakeholders to recommit to collaborative action, sustained investment, and innovative approaches to addressing the challenges ahead.
He was represented by the Project Director, IHVN Global Fund N-THRIP, Dr Olayemi Olupitan.
While noting that the theme for the 2024 World AIDS Day resonates deeply with IHVN’s mission of promoting health equity and ensuring access to life-saving prevention, care, and treatment services for HIV and associated diseases, Dr. Dakum said: “IHVN has consistently demonstrated excellence in combating HIV and TB through a holistic approach that bridges national and community-level interventions.
“Through initiatives like ASPIRE and now N-THRIP, we integrate services, strengthen health systems, and expand access to care for underserved populations.
“Our collaboration with key stakeholders, including NASCP, NTBLCP, NACA, and other partners, ensures a united response to the dual burden of TB and HIV in Nigeria.”
