•The authorities must pursue this objective with all seriousness
At a press conference in Abuja to mark the World AIDS Day 2024, Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Dr Temitope Ilori complained about the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), saying, “Our country continues to face a significant challenge in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.” The theme was: “Take the Rights Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV among Children to End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030.”
She, however, stated that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recently established a national-level acceleration committee, aimed at ensuring that no child is born HIV positive in the country. World AIDS Day, observed every year on December 1, is a global initiative to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Since the AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) pandemic hit the global community decades ago, governments across the world have taken measures to prevent and manage both HIV and AIDS. Enough awareness has been created about the reality of HIV, which causes AIDS, which often leads to death if not well managed. Importantly, pharmaceutical companies rushed out antiretroviral drugs to disrupt the development of HIV into full-blown AIDS. For instance, American basketball legend Magic Johnson, who has lived with HIV with good management for more than three decades, illustrates advancement in the management of HIV.
The most vulnerable demographic regarding HIV are unborn babies because they share a lot of blood and other body fluids with their mothers. This gave birth to the global programme called Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Many countries have embraced this life-saving programme, which has helped in saving many children from being infected by the virus.
But Nigeria with its huge population has been lagging behind. Despite a global PMTCT target of 95 percent, Nigeria’s coverage remains at just 33 percent, leaving a significant 62 percent gap uncovered. UNAIDS lamented that Nigeria has one of the lowest declines in new HIV infections among children. Some of the negative percentages are embarrassing for the nation and must be treated as a national emergency. For Nigeria to have 14 percent of global child HIV infections, and the global highest with 21,000 new infections among children, is very worrisome.
As if that is not bad enough, it is estimated that 160,000 children aged 0-14 are living with HIV in the country, and there is an alarming figure of 15,000 AIDS-related deaths annually. UNAIDS country director for Nigeria Dr Leo Zekeng stressed that addressing mother-to-child transmission is both a medical and human rights issue. “Stopping babies from being born with HIV/AIDS and ensuring access to quality services is a fundamental human right,” he said.
Deputy executive director of programmes for UNAIDS Dr Angeli Ahrekar said: “The future of Nigeria’s children cannot be left unchecked; concerted and urgent action must be taken to avert children being consigned to live a lifetime with a virus that is now preventable. We need to end the vertical transmission of the epidemic to have an AIDS-free generation in Nigeria.”
We demand that governments at all levels in Nigeria be more concerned about the healthcare needs of all citizens. Unborn children are the most vulnerable of all humans. NACA must be very deliberate in planning for the PMTCT programmes to be as optimally effective as they are in better managed countries. It is appalling that Nigeria sends out Technical Aid Corps to other countries but cannot deliver health services efficiently to its born and unborn children.
The Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with relevant agencies must be concerned about the disaster and embarrassment from the failure of the PMTCT in Nigeria with all the resources available. A critical analysis of the narrative portrays the country as very careless about the welfare of her children.
