Director-general, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Sani Aliyu, has disclosed that Nigeria is still facing some challenges on the effort to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Aliyu, while addressing the media on the 2018 World AIDS Day (WAD) celebration on December 1, therefore called on Nigerians to get tested to enable them know their HIV status.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) data show that in 2016, Nigeria had the highest share (26.9%) of new mother-to-child HIV infections out of 23 priority countries. It estimated that 37,000 children younger than 15 years were newly infected with the virus.
The theme for this year, according to NACA, “Know Your Status” is an opportunity for every community to unite against HIV, show support for people living with the disease and remember those who have passed away due to AIDS.
According to Aliyu, the WAD is an opportunity to remind the public of the importance of testing for HIV.
“Nigeria is still facing some challenges, as only about 50 percent of pregnant women are present for antenatal care.
“Having an HIV test is an essential step towards accessing life-saving HIV treatment as we progress towards putting everybody living with HIV in Nigeria on treatment.
“The agency would continue to embark on awareness programmes to get more pregnant women to attend antenatal care,” he said.
This is the 30th anniversary of the first World AIDS Day. Since the human virus emerged, HIV has become one of the world’s most infectious killers, infecting 76.1 million people and accounting for the death of 35 million people due to AIDS-related illnesses.
Nigeria has the second largest burden in the world after South Africa with an estimate of 3.2 million people, with only 1 million on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
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