NACA Targets End to Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

•Soon no babies will be born HIV positive in Nigeria

Onyebuchi Ezigbo

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has expressed a commitment to arresting the incidence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) by the end of the year.

Director-General of NACA, Dr. Gambo Aliyu, made the pledge yesterday at the maiden edition of the NACA Day celebration.

He said Nigeria was on the verge of achieving UNAID’S programmatic indicators for epidemic control due to tremendous growth in our programs over the last six years.

“This year, we expect a tremendous growth in our programme for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) as we take key steps towards ensuring no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria,” he stated.

According to Aliyu, February 22 each year provides an opportunity for reflection on the successes of the national response, including communities, partners, and stakeholders and renewing our commitments to end AIDS.

“Our strategies in programme alignment by all stakeholders, service integration at community levels and strong political support at all levels made our national response the most COVID-19 resilient in the world with the highest yield at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the NACA boss explained.

He further stressed the need to end “all forms” of inequality and leave no one behind to ensure inclusive implementation of “our programmes at community levels if we must sustain the gains made in the last six years.”

While congratulating NACA for its achievements in the national HIV response coordination, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, emphasised the need for building partnerships and the harmonisation of programmes for greater impact. He urged state governments to partner NACA to develop a sustainability framework for the national HIV response.

Mustapha listed a landmark HIV survey (which showed fewer Nigerians were living with HIV) and the most likely geographic locations to find them, identifying and placing more than one million persons living with HIV on treatment within the last six years as notable milestones by NACA under the current administration.

He also mentioned that President Muhammadu Buhari recently launched a private sector-led HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria.

In his goodwill message, NACA’s board chairman, Senator Oladipo Odujinrin, stated that the agency was committed to fulfilling its mandate of ensuring an HIV-free Nigeria.

NACA was established by an act of the National Assembly on February 22, 2007, to help combat HIV-AIDS.