140,000 Children Infected with HIV in Nigeria

* Pediatric treatment still low at 35%, Says FG

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The federal government has said that an estimated 140,000 children in Nigeria are currently infected by HIV virus.
It also said that despite efforts being made to control HIV infection among children, pediatric treatment remained at mere 35 percent as against the global set standard of 95 percent.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the launch of The Preventing Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and Paediatric AIDS Acceleration Plan Committee in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said that HIV infection still remained a major threat to the survival of children.
He said statistics has it that more than 22,000 new infections of HIV are recorded yearly in the country, with 300 children losing their lives annually.
His words: “As you are aware, Nigeria contributes 25. percent of the global burden of HIV transmission between mothers and their children. Despite testing approximately 4 million pregnant women in 2023, our PMTCT (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission) and pediatric HIV coverage remains at about 35 percent, falling significantly short of the 95 percent target.

While inaugurating the Committee, Alausa said that they are expected to work round the clock to ensure acceleration of efforts to prevent mother-child-transmission of HIV across the country.
He said that Nigeria’s Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children Action Plan was developed to scale up pediatric HIV care and eliminate vertical transmission of HIV between mothers and their children. However, adding “three years later, we have yet to see significant progress, as service coverage has remained below 35% year after year”.

He said that: ” In line with global best practices, I will inaugurate this multisectoral committee, comprising technocrats and bureaucrats, to ensure we deliver on this mandate, tracking implementation along the four pillars of our plan:
“Early testing and optimized comprehensive, high-quality treatment and care for infants, children, and adolescents living with HIV and children exposed to HIV, closing the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV and optimizing continuity of treatment towards eliminating vertical transmission.

“Preventing and detecting new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents and women, addressing social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.”
The president of the National Association of Women Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, Mrs. Esther Hendi, said that with the right will and commitment HIV can be eliminated in the country.

According to Hendi, “The objective of today’s meeting is to formally inaugurate the acceleration plan committee to provide oversight to the PMTCT and Paediatric HIV programme implementation in line with the three-one principle of one coordinating agency, one strategic framework and one M&E system.”
She also appealed to the states, especially the governors’ wives, to help in pushing the efforts to check the spread of HIV in our communities.
PEPFAR Coordinator for Nigeria Fumi Adesanya said that at this stage of the country’s development, no child should be allowed to be born with HIV-AIDS, adding that everything should be done through the committee to ensure speedy eradication of the HIV-AIDS scourge
UNAIDS Country Coordinator Leo Zekeng said that if we want to end HIV-AIDS in Africa, there has to be remarkable progress tackling the disease in Nigeria.