HIV/AIDs: Nigerian govt inaugurates committee to accelerate prevention of mother-to-child transmission

As part of efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission and eliminate HIV/AIDs in the country, the Nigerian government is scaling up the implementation of early testing and treatments for exposed infants.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, said the government will also be providing high-quality treatment and care for children, and adolescents living with HIV.

The minister disclosed this at the inauguration of the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Paediatric AIDS Acceleration Plan Committee organised by the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Alausa, also the committee chairman, stated that the new team will coordinate the acceleration efforts carried out by agencies and officials at all government levels to reduce the spread of the disease, especially among children.

He said: “This will ensure that no child is born HIV-positive and that those who are positive receive quality care. We will also unlock value chains by collaborating with those willing to commence domestic production of HIV commodities, ensuring health security for our children.

“The committee will focus on closing the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV and optimising continuity of treatment towards eliminating vertical transmission.”

The minister said Nigeria seeks to improve prevention and early detection of new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding women while addressing social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.

“While primarily addressing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric HIV, this initiative will also improve our antenatal coverage, health outcomes for women of childbearing age, and under-5 mortality rates,” he said.

“HIV prevention coverage still low”

Also speaking, the Director General of NACA, Temitope Ilori, said Nigeria is faced with a critical challenge in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

She said despite creating a comprehensive national strategy, accompanied by financial commitment, child-to-mother transmission and paediatric HIV coverage remain critically low.

“Our epidemiological estimates say 140,000 children under 14 are living with HIV as of 2023, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths in children,” she said.

She stated that the prevention of mother-to-child transmission aand paediatric HIV coverage in Nigeria is lower by 33 per cent, “a far cry from the 95 per cent target.”

“As a family physician, I long to see that no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria, and as the Director General of NACA, I know that together we can change this infamous narrative of Nigeria’s contribution to the global burden of PMTCT and paediatric HIV,” she added.

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According to the Nigeria Coordinator, US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Funmi Adesanya, a remarkable progress must be recorded in Nigeria for the world to achieve the global target of eliminating the epidemic.

She called for increased partnership across all levels of government and between public, and private institutions, noting that all stakeholders must commit to ending the epidemic by 2030.

“No child in Nigeria should be born with HIV and the US Government is committed to our partnership to ensure that this is a reality. Now is the time and we believe we have the right leadership represented in this room to achieve this goal,” she added.