The Federal Government has tasked the Committee on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Paediatric AIDS Acceleration Plan with scaling up interventions to eliminate HIV transmission in Nigeria. Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, expressed concern at the committee’s inauguration in Abuja that Nigeria accounts for 25% of the global burden of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Alausa highlighted that current PMTCT and pediatric HIV coverage is critically low at less than 35%, far below the 95% target. He committed to working closely with the committee to review implementation and track data regularly, aiming to reverse Nigeria’s contribution to the global burden and ensure no child is born HIV positive while providing quality care to those who are.
Temitope Ilori, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), noted the alarming statistics, with 140,000 children under 14 living with HIV as of 2023, alongside 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths in children. She emphasized that the committee would oversee PMTCT and pediatric HIV program implementation to end HIV and AIDS among children.
Olu Folake Abdulrasaq, Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum, commended the federal government’s efforts and highlighted the role of sub-national initiatives. She announced plans to enroll women living with HIV in Kwara State’s health insurance program.
Funmi Adesanya, Country Coordinator for the U.S. Government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), revealed that the U.S. has invested $8.3 billion over the past 21 years to eliminate HIV as a public health threat in Nigeria by 2030. She affirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to this partnership to ensure no child in Nigeria is born with HIV.
Leo Zekeng, Country Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Nigeria, assured that funding for these efforts is secure through 2026. He urged other stakeholders to recommit to the cause and fully support the initiative.
Oyebanji Fulani, Chairman of the Commissioners of Health Forum, stressed the need for resources and assured that state governments would contribute to the initiative’s success. The committee is expected to focus on early testing, optimizing treatment and care for infants, children, and adolescents living with HIV, closing treatment gaps for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and addressing social and structural barriers to accessing services.
