A total of 1.63 million Nigerians out of the 1.8 million persons currently living with HIV in the country are on Antiretroviral treatment, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS ( NACA) has said.
The Director-General of the agency, Dr Gambo Aliyu, stated this yesterday while briefing newsmen ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day.Nigeria has the second-largest burden of HIV infection.
Aliyu said Nigeria, like many other countries, has made significant strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, adding that there was however still much to be done to achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
He said approximately, 58% of the persons living with HIV are estimated to be female, while 42% are male.
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He said, “The national average of mother-to-child transmission rate of 22% is driven by a large number of states with transmission rates above 25%, and few states with rates below 15%. Nigeria is responsible for about 30% of the world’s gap in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT).”
He said it is important in line with the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day – “Communities: Leadership to End AIDS by 2030’’, to mobilise community leaders for gender-equitable social norms and gender equality in the uptake of HIV prevention including prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, treatment, and care services.
Dr Aliyu called on all stakeholders to renew their dedication to the national HIV/AIDS response, adding “Let us bolster community-led initiatives, strengthen partnerships, and champion policies that uphold the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their HIV status.”
Amobi Ogah, Chairman House Committee of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria control (ATM) said the parliament will work towards budgetary allocation in the fight against HIV/AIDs.
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