Nigerian State’s Commissioners of Health and other key stakeholders on the U.S, CDC/PEPFAR-supported HIV program implementation, have converged in Abuja, Nigeria, to chart a way forward towards the progress on epidemics control in the country, with a promise to sustain the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.
The consultative meeting which was organised by the United States Centre for Disease Control and other stakeholders was aimed at sharing experiences and creating a new approach towards epidemic control in the country.
The Country Director US Centre for Disease Control in Nigeria, Dr. Mary Boyd said that the consultative meeting would further give the Centre more information on the epidemic control in the states.
She further explained that millions of Nigerians living with HIV in twenty one States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are currently receiving treatment through the U.S. CDC intervention. He noted the need to strengthen the progress that has been made so as to have a sustained impact.
“Till date in Nigeria, there are about one point nine million people living with HIV and AIDS that are enjoying life saving treatment and they will go on to have normal productive life as a result of these collaborations. What we are now trying to do is to create a foundation that strengthens states leadership in managing the HIV response. If we are to sustain the progress that we have made with HIV response, knowing and closing the gaps, letting science lead, building system, having created partnership, then we must strengthen leadership from community to state through national.”
The Chairperson, Health Commissioners Forum and Ekiti State Commissioner for Health and Human Service, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, disclosed that despite progress in epidemic control, the need to sustain the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.
“Some states like Benue, plateau and Ekiti States are doing much better than others but the ultimate goal is to ensure that we get as many people down to what we call saturation level and epidemiological control. It is important that we do not rest, we are moving closer, the prevalence is far lower than it used to be, but now is the time to ensure that we put all efforts to get to that stage where is no longer a big issue, that’s why we are working with other partners like US CDC, PEPFAR and other players within the space, to ensure that we are able to align towards a common strategy to address this.”
The National Coordinator, National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infection Control Programme in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Akudo Ikpeazu, urged state government to take Paediatric HIV infection seriously.
“On paediatric HIV treatment, one of the issue we find a big challenge is when you look for children, so finding these children is a big challenge but we are working now on expanding the work, so beyond kids finding, we have seen that when the children gets treatment the do better. The other advocacy is that states need to get driver’s on seat, they need to engage more and lead the processes because we appreciate that, at the national level there is a lot we can do with policies but implementation has to happen at the state level. There is a global alliance for aids which Nigeria is part of and it is aimed at working on increasing many efforts in the countries that are part of this alliance to ensure that paediatrics can be addressed.”
The Benue state Commissioner for Health and Human Service, Dr. Joseph Ngbea noted that, “Benue State is doing well in epidemic control and we hope to sustain the process. We thankful to partners for the enormous support and the government for providing a fertile environment for the implementation of all the processes of treatment of HIV in the state. We have disease surveillance notification officers all over the state, we will ensure that awareness is created, the same we used to effect those who left taking drugs will be implemented to ensure that everybody is aware of the need to know their status and once you know your status, you should follow the due process to getting your drugs.”
The epidemic control fact sheet made available at the meeting by the US Centre for Disease Control indicates that 5.4 million clients received HIV counselling, while over 162 thousand People Living With HIV were identified and reported between October last year to June this year.
