Amidst rising concerns over the persistent threat of HIV and AIDs, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, has emphasized the need for increased action, imperative in both prevention and treatment strategies to combat the spread of the virus.
Credible News reports that Nigeria has an estimated 1.9 million people living with the infection and records about 22,000 cases of mother to child transmission of HIV.
The Director-General of NACA, Mrs Temitope Ilori who stated this on Tuesday at the 2024 HIV Prevention Conference on Accelerating Prevention to End Aids through Innovation and Community Engagement, noted that the theme underscored the importance of community involvement in shaping respective prevention strategies while ensuring access to health for those living with the disease.
“In the time between the last conference and now, we have implemented various strategies such as prevention therapy, HIV self testing, armed reduction initiative, treatment as prevention and revaluation of Nigeria’s HIV epidemic through the Nigeria HIV indicator and impact survey, among others.
“However, despite our achievement, the war is far from over. We must redouble our effort to prevent mother to child transmission and strive to attain Aids free generation by 2030,” she said.
The DG further stated that such would be obtainable by leveraging on the advancement in health technology.
“Prevention, they say, is better than cure, and it lies at the core of our public health interventions, therefore this conference serves as a platform to explore innovative approaches to empower communities particularly those at higher risk with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from HIV infection,” she added.
Mrs. Ilori who decried the negative impact of stigma and discrimination as a significant barrier to achieving the goal of HIV prevention called on the youths to engage in educating and sensitizing people about the harmful effect of stigmatizing individuals living with the infection.
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The DG commended the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu for prioritizing welfare of Nigerians and the collective efforts of international partners to combat HIV AIDs in Nigeria.
The Country Director of UNAIDS, Leo Zekeng recognized the significance of the conference as it focused on AIDS prevention and control. While acknowledging strides made, Zekeng advocated intensified efforts to curtail new infections, underscoring the imperative for continued progress in combating the AIDS epidemic.
He said “we can’t be satisfied because in 2021 we made a commitment that by 2025 we will reduce new infections by 83%. And to reduce new infections by 83% meant that by 2025 we would have had 370 000 new infections. But the data for 2022 suggest that we have 1.3 million new infections so we cant be satisfied by that progress that did not significantly reduce the rate of new infection.”
He listed factors preventing the achievement in infection reduction to the tendency of antagonizing prevention and treatment, poor political leadership and commitment around prevention and poor funding.
Dr. Zenkeng added that reducing new infection was possible through upscaling the disease prevention programs, funding and capacity building.
Nigeria Country Coordinator, U.S President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, Ms. Funmi Adesanya also emphasized prevention and the need to engage young people in the collective fight against HIV AIDs.
She underscored the harsh reality that young people face such as poverty, undevelopment, and increased rate of jappa syndrome, and assured that being an advocate of change in line with prevention and control of the infection will offer the youths an avalanche of opportunities to be gainfully engaged and represent the nation in the wider world.
In a goodwill messages, the Chairman, House Committee on AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Hon. Godwin Amobi emphasized the need to change the narrative on local funding, saying “we can’t keep depending on foreign aid.”
He pledged his support in making sure that the next budget facilitates substantial amounts for the fight against the disease.
“The last budget, we only managed to get about N8 billion, I promise you with the help of God and our President, we will make it to N50 billion,” he said.
He said the House Committee will continue to advocate for resources to fight against HIV and Aids in Nigeria, adding that the need to reevaluate, rethink and restrategize HIV prevention program is of utmost importance.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa represented by reaffirmed the vision of the health sector which bothers on producing health and reducing pains sustainably for all Nigerians pivoted upon four main pillars which include effective governance, efficient, equitable and quality health systems, unlocking the health value chain and health security.
“This vision changes how the government will provide health for its citizens across the country. I call on all of you to join hands with us to make this vision a reality for all Nigerians,” he said.
He added that the theme of the conference lends credence to the determination of the government to ensure that Nigerians are healthy.
He commended NACA and other international donors for organizing a conference that provides a platform for discussing prevention strategies with the intent of accessing them for effectiveness, sharing global health prevention practices and domesticating them to suit the country’s unique practices.
Credible News.ng
