260 Children Test Positive for HIV in Niger

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Not less than 260 children between the 0- 14 age bracket are HIV positive in Niger state just as about 12% of these kids have no access to antiretroviral drugs.

Mrs Mary Jalingo Niger state chairperson of the Society for the Elimination of HIV stated this in Minna on Monday at the inaugural meeting of the coalition of Civil Society Organisations for the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Mrs Jalingo also said that the number of facilities providing the prevention of mother to child HIV in the state was very low adding that Nigeria had the highest number of mother to child transmission of HIV in the world.

” The number of facilities providing prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in the state is also low, there is also the need to encourage women to come forward to prevent their babies from being born with HIV

“This is what this coalition is all about, to provide advocacy and sensitise women on the prevalence of HIV”.

Zonal Coordinator of SEHAC Dr. Ismailia Garba in a remark said many children had died at very tender ages because they were born with the HIV virus adding that if there was enough sensitisation the infected mothers would have known how to protect their unborn babies from the virus.

Ismail Garba said that there was need for more hands to be on deck if Nigeria would attain its 90-90 targets for the elimination the disease.