NACA, SAYS ABOUT 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN NIGERIA, ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING TREATMENT 25-11-24
By Sadiq Aminu The National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, says about 1.6 million People Living With HIV in Nigeria, are currently receiving treatment.
The Director-General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, made this known at a press conference in Abuja ahead of the 2024 World AIDS Day.
While speaking on the theme, “Take the Right Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV Among Children, and End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030,” Dr. Ilori maintained that the agency would place special emphasis on stopping AIDS among children and raising consciousness on sustainability and ownership of the HIV response.
“Despite country progress, our PMTCT and paediatric HIV coverage remains 33% which is 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 also stressed the need to intensify efforts to scale up prevention of mother-to-child transmission services nationwide, promote universal access to free antenatal care and expand health insurance schemes to include comprehensive HIV care for everyone.
Dr. Ilori added that the NACA team has been engaging with all stakeholders in co-creating a sustainability roadmap that intends to sustain existing gains within the HIV response, and put government-mandated structures at the centre of programme implementation in the states.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Virology Nigeria, Dr Patrick Dakum, called for sustained investment and innovative approaches to address the challenges ahead.
The Country Director of UNAIDS, Leo Zekeng, advocated political commitment and increased domestic funding for HIV programmes in Nigeria to end AIDS by 2030.
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.